Penley Chardonnay | Moreno Wines

Wine Producer:

Penley Estate

Winemaker:

Kym Tolley

Winemaking:

Quality new French oak barrel fermentation, partial lees stirring and no Malolactic fermentation.

Wine Style:

White

Wine Description:

Parker gave this wine 89 points “Rich, well made and restrained”. Total Awards Since its first release (1989): 1 Trophy nomination, 7 Gold, 20 Silver, 62 Bronze, 1 Commended, 6x90+points. Donna Hay Magazine Annual Wine Awards 2004 - Best Chardonnay over $15. , In the 20 years since Penley Estate was established, they have set new standards in red wine productions and won a collection of 47 trophies and over 150 gold medals and are now sought by a worldwide market.

Winery Info:

Kym Tolley established Penley Estate in the heart of Coonawarra in 1988. Coonawarra is situated in the south east of South Australia and is an area that is about 15km long and 2 km wide. It is approximately 4.5 hours drive from the heart of Melbourne or 4 hours from Adelaide. It sits at 37 Degrees latitude which is 450km closer to the equator than Bordeaux. Penley Estate's high scores and warm words from international wine pundits are welcome, but it does mean that we know exactly what we can expect for the next few years. Kym's wines are widely distributed around the world, and the UK has to fight for its allocation the same as everyone else.

Vineyard information:

Penley Estate's 166 Ha estate is situated in Australia's famous Cabernet Sauvignon district, Coonawarra. When Kym purchased the land it was a green site and now there is currently there is 111 hectares under vine including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The vineyard is established on limestone covered by the famous 'terra rossa' soil of the Coonawarra. This, combined with ideal cool climatic conditions and an abundance of sunshine make a perfect location for vine growing. Coonawarra experiences warm dry summers and cool wet winters. Generally the cooler the climate the more balanced the flavours and Coonawarra is known for having one of the longest ripening seasons of the world. The approximate annual rainfall is 628mm which is similar to the regions of Bordeaux in France which is well known for its Cabernet producing qualities. Average summer temperature is 18.8 °C whilst the average winter temperature is 9.8 °C. People have been talking about the current Australian drought, and it has caused complete mayhem in the broad acres of Riverland and Riverina where irrigation is essential. Kym's sustainable vineyards on classic terrarossa soil in Coonawarra, mostly dry-farmed, have been much less affected by this biblical agricultural catastrophe.

Food Pairing:

Grilled Turbot with braised fennel, or as usual any fish and white meat dishes.

Abv:

14%

Grape Variety:

100% Chardonnay

Tasting Note:

Medium yellow with touches of grapey green.On the nose, melon and grassy fruit with a hint of soft French oak. The flavours are soft and smooth with lingering melon fruits, subtle oak. Complex, soft and crisp, with the accent on fresh fruit characters, rather than buttery richness. An elegant cool-climate style. Complexity of flavour, oak and acid make this an excellent food wine. The finely tuned acids allow crispness that many New World Chardonnays lack. Fruit flavour is not dominated, but enhanced, by oak.