Four O’Clock Chardonnay 2022
Tasting Notes
‘Four o’clock’ shows classic characters of stone fruit (peach and nectarine) and with a hint of green apple. It has great structure and length. Tasting the wine, you would be forgiven for thinking it had spent time in oak barrels – it hasn’t! it’s just a super expression of one of Joch’s very favourite varieties.
Four o’clock goes very well with mushroom risotto, roast chicken or enjoyed lightly chilled as an aperitif. It’s a versatile style. Grapes for the Four o'clock came this year from our Orchard Chardonnay (Grange) and Dentons Chardy blocks - both free draining stony loam soils.
Vintage
We had above average winter and early spring rains, a cool summer and gentle ripening conditions throughout the 2022 season. This ripening period was also dry, and we didn’t experience any heat spikes at all. Veraison (the stage of grape development when the grapes change colour as they get nearer to harvest) was later than usual, and picking across all varieties was a little later than usual, too. Overall, a terrific vintage, with super quality whites and reds too.
Winemaking
We pick at night so that the grapes come into the winery nice and cool – this helps us preserve the flavours and natural acidity of the grapes. Fermentation occurs in our temperature controlled stainless steel vessels - ‘Four o’clock’ is an unoaked style, so spends no time in oak. We do leave the ferment on solids (the combination of yeast particles and other by-products of the winemaking process) which adds texture. The wine is not allowed to go through ‘malo’ (malolactic fermentation – this process softens out the acidity which we don’t want). Once through this process, the wine is allowed to settle before bottling.
Other Vintages
Technical Details
Picking Date: 11th and 22nd February 2022
Alc/Vol: 12.5.0%
Bottling Date: 4th October 2022