Ghost Rock Single Vineyard Chardonnay Bonadale 2025

Variety: 100 % Chardonnay
Country, Region: Australia, Tasmania

100 % Chardonnay (clone I10V1) from the Bonadale Vineyard, the highest vineyard at Ghost Rock. Pressed to tank and allowed a light settling before barrel fermentation in 25 % new French oak. Some limited malolactic (finishing at about 3.3 g/L) followed by 9 months maturation in barrel with occasional lees stirring.
12.9 % Alc/Vol; 8.6 g/L TA; 3.01 pH.

’Pale gold. Vibrant floral and citrus notes lift the aroma, while richer developed characters such as ginger biscuit, cream and almond are layered beneath. Fresh acid driven palate delivers a clean line and lingering aftertaste. There is plenty of body and texture to support this lean and racy style.’ Justin Arnold, Winemaker.

'Overall 2025 was the kind of vintage we dream about, warm days, cool nights and little to no rain during the ripening period. The resulting wines are showing a lovely balance and character consistent with the intense fruit and spice flavours that are a hallmark of our site.' Justin Arnold, Winemaker.

'In ‘01, Cate and Colin Arnold purchased the former Patrick Creek Vineyard planted exclusively to pinot noir in 1989. The vineyards, situated among the patchwork fields of Sassafras to the south and the white sands of the Port Sorell Peninsula to the north, now total 30ha: pinot noir (14 clones) remains the bedrock of the plantings, with other varieties including chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling and sauvignon blanc. Ownership has passed to son Justin and his wife Alicia (who runs the cooking school and cellar door). Justin’s experience in the Yarra Valley (Coldstream Hills), Margaret River (Devil’s Lair) and Napa Valley (Etude) has paid dividends – the business is going from strength to strength, and the capacity of the 100t winery has been tripled. Exports to Japan.' James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion.

Established in 1999, Ghost Rock came to life when Colin and Cate Arnold purchased the Patrick's Creek vineyard (planted in 1989) at Northdown, just outside Devonport in Northern Tasmania. Here, just a few minutes from where the Spirit of Tasmania ferry docks and but an hour's drive from Cradle Mountain, the vineyards enjoy a maritime climate overlooking Bass Strait, producing immaculately ripened fruit of particular freshness and complexity.

Over the ensuing 20-odd years the Arnold family would continue planting out additional vineyards, substantially with Pinot Noir (and a good dozen different clones at that!), but also with Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and a little Sauvignon Blanc. And before they knew it, they had almost single-handedly created the wine region now dubbed Tasmania's Cradle Coast.

In 2017 Colin and Cate's son Justin and his wife Alicia Peardon took over the business and have continued to turn out new and exciting wines, earning 5-star recognition from the Halliday Wine Companion, amongst many other accolades. Justin takes care of the winemaking, having honed his skills at Coldstream Hills, Devil's Lair and at Etude in California's Carneros Creek, whilst Alicia manages the Cellar Door and Eatery.

Today the wines fall into three ranges: the Estate and Single Vineyard wines are self-explanatory, whilst the Supernatural wines make up Ghost Rock's 'Lo-Fi' range. Or as Justin has put it,

'Creativity and deliciousness rule the roost within this portfolio, bound to one rule only; high quality, estate-grown fruit as the source component. The rest is in the imagination and the craft. The range follows a ‘LoFi’ mantra of being wild ferment driven and exclusively unfined/unfiltered/low SO2.'