L.A.S. Vino Sun on your skin Chardonnay

After a regional tasting of Margaret River chardonnay, LAS noticed that the method in which these wines were made was similar. Tasting 200 Chardonnay’s and all had been made by whole bunch pressing, barrel fermenation and partial malolactic fermentation, the result was positive but all of the wines tasted similar. At L.A.S. Vino they aim to create wines that are different and delicious and given that they weren’t happy with the status quo. They wanted to turn this method on its head. Let’s see what would happen to the chardonnay using a method normally reserved for red grapes and red wine (skin contact).

The wine is full, smooth and easy drinking, with flavours of honey, peach and cooked pear. Almost like eating a warm apple pie with honey and cream on top. A truly unique expression of Chardonnay from the Margaret River region.

The Chardonnay grapes are hand picked from a singular vineyard in the Willyabrup valley. Dry grown, gin gin clone 30 year old vines. The fruit was chilled overnight prior to bunch sorting and then berry sorting. The berries were left whole and the chardonnay fermented naturally on skins. Draining off some of the fermenting juice to barrique at 10 days, another lot of wine to a set of barrels at 20 days and a final two barrels were filled at 35 days skin contact. Only 6 barrels were made. The barrels went through a parital malolactic fermenation and tasted completely unique in comparison to ‘traditional’ chardonnay. The wine was left to soften and mature in oak for 14 months prior to blending and bottling.