2007 MadFish Gold Turtle Chardonnay Tasting Notes

After the mild winter we saw very early budburst in most regions. The weather at budburst was good with generally favourable early growth conditions, including some much needed rain. Shoot growth was rapid and even with few vineyards developing secondary and tertiary shoots. This led to open canopies that minimized disease pressures.
We generally experienced good flowering conditions leading to very good fruit setting. The Gin Gin or Mendoza clone of Chardonnay is very sensitive to poor berry set but 2007 was the best set I’ve seen in this clone. Benign weather for most of the late spring and early summer was favourable for vine growth and fruit development.   Every stage of the vine phenology was early and the crop levels were low. The bunches were full but just not enough of them. These two factors led to one of the earliest seasons ever experienced in the southwest. 
Ripening for the most part was very even and very early and the summer temperatures for January and February were mild.
.
The fruit was hand picked, chilled overnight and manually sorted to eliminate damaged berries. A portion of the fruit was crushed and immediately pressed with the balance being loaded direct to the press for whole bunch pressing. Only free run juice is considered for Gold Turtle as this is the most elegant and clean juice possible. Most of the juice is seeded for fermentation but approximately 20% is allowed to “naturally” ferment in a mixture of new (30%) and one and two year old (70%) French barriques.   The secondary malolactic fermentation is discouraged to maintain the natural backbone of acidity which is the key to the structure of Gold Turtle Chardonnay.  About half of the barrels are regularly stirred to develop palate texture and complexity.

The 2007 MadFish Gold Turtle Chardonnay is a classic exponent of the ‘modern’ style of barrel fermented Chardonnay:  the wine structure is lighter and fresher with cleaner, crisper mouthfeel than the Chardonnays of earlier years. The judicious use of complimentary oak has produced a wine of style and balance. The palate is crisp and bright with an initial burst of honeydew melon, roasted hazelnut, beeswax and complexing bacon smoke balanced by a more textural mid-palate with cashew barrel fermentation characters. The finish is long clean lemon and grapefruit flavours with crisp acidity. This is a complex and richly bodied chardonnay with great balance and structure. 

This wine will develop further over the next 3 to 5 years, but has an appealing combination of fruit, structure and complexity that is best enjoyed in its youth.