Cape Mentelle Chardonnay

From the Maker:

In Margaret River, considered one of Australia’s premium chardonnay growing regions, Cape Mentelle creates wines of plush texture, depth and power, yet balanced with a fine frame of acidity. Built around the classic local Gingin clone, this multilayered and complex wine draws upon an additional array of clones and multiple microclimates within our sites, benefiting from cool nights to capture an exquisite vibrancy of fruit.

Palate: Hand-picked Chardonnay from our own vineyards with “one plot one batch” approach, gently pressed and transferred to barrel for wild fermentation. Oak selection focuses on enhancing fruits and specificities of each plot. Wine is then left unsulphured for a few weeks post ferment and undergoes a stirring regime monitored by tasting to build texture and refine structure. In this blend, our Chapman Chardonnay provides generosity and weight while our Crossroad fruit adds another layer of tension to the wine. Essentially, the team aims to interlay each block to ensure that the final wine showcases the unique taste of each sites’ characteristics and clonal diversity.

About the Maker:

"Wine industry pioneer David Hohnen and his brothers Mark and Giles established Cape Mentelle Vineyards in 1970. Our phenomenal Cape Mentelle journey started small with just 16 hectares of vines planted on what is now referred to as the ‘Wallcliffe Vineyard’. In the early years David Hohnen experimented with grape varieties including shiraz, cabernet, zinfandel, sauvignon blanc and semillon. Many of these original plantings are the source of the distinctive wines that have come to characterise Cape Mentelle.

The area under vine increased with the establishment of the 23 hectare Trinders Vineyard in 1988 followed by the Chapman Brook Vineyard in the early 1990’s. By this time Cape Mentelle had a well established reputation in the Australian market. A partnership with Veuve Clicquot enabled Cape Mentelle to take the next step, further developing the winery with a new cellar and modern equipment and an expansion into the international market.

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