Clarence House Estate Chardonnay 2023

Variety: Chardonnay
Country, Region: Australia, Tasmania, Cambridge

Entirely from a single block, three clones of Chardonnay (including the prized Penfolds clone) reside on an east-facing slope with views back towards the Clarence House homestead and Mt Rumney. Picked in the first days of April, whole-bunch pressed and allowed to ferment wild in a combination of new and old French oak barriques and puncheons.
Fine but flavoursome, with apple and citrus, a whiff of sulphide/struck match complexity, fennel, and spicy oak in discreet mode. There’s a nice energy and crunch, flinty feel, and a tight finish of impressive length. Style plus, and more importantly, a lovely thing to drink.

This small vineyard is located just north of Hobart on a perfectly positioned north-east facing slope. The beautiful old Georgian homestead of Clarence House was built in 1830 at Clarence Plains, Mt Rumney, has been maintained in its original splendour surrounded by beautiful gardens, and in 1998 present owner David Kilpatrick began planting vines on the north east sloping block facing Mount Rumney just below the Coal River Valley. Over 8ha of the total 12ha of plantings consists of pinot noir and chardonnay, with the remainder including pinot blanc, sauvignon blanc, merlot and tempranillo. All wines are now made by Anna Pooley and Justin Bubb at the nearby Pooley cellar in Cambridge.