2003 MadFish Premium White Tasting Notes

The 2003 growing season was unusually dry, with the lack of rain extending through to late March. The summer was also warm with several days in March reaching an uncharacteristic 40°C in the Great Southern. This combination resulted in an incredibly compact vintage with 99% of the whites harvested, at optimum ripeness, by the end of March. The lack of summer rain produced fruit that was also completely disease free.
The fruit for this blend was sourced from vineyards in the cooler climate regions of the lower south west of Western Australia. 

This wine is unwooded, with fermentation occurring in stainless steel tanks. A low temperature, protective regime was adopted during its production, thereby preserving the finer characters of the cool climate Chardonnay.

In the glass, the wine appears crisp displaying fresh green tinges to the pale straw colour. The nose is typical of cool climate Chardonnay – melons and peach supported by finer grapefruit and mandarin aromas. The array of flavours and the fine structure of the palate are an indication of the quality of the vintage. Flavours of nectarine and rockmelon balance the initial tropical fruit.

This wine is especially delicious when young but does have the acid balance required to reward cellaring for up to 3 years.