Jip Jip Rocks Chardonnay 2016

Jip Jip Rocks Chardonnay is made from 100 percent unoaked Chardonnay.

Light yellow with a pale straw hue. A classic nose of lemon, fresh stonefruit and melon. The palate is clean and fresh with mineral characters underpinning ripe pineapple and lime flavours. This wine will age beautifully over the next 4-5 years.

 Winemaking report: Gentle pressing and free run juices create the base of this wine. Traditionally Jip Jip Rocks Chardonnay is a 2/3 blend fermented and matured in stainless steel and 1/3 fermented in stainless steel, which receives extended lees contact to add texture and complexity to the palate.

Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz-Cabernet is made from 55% Shiraz, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon

Deep purple. Boysenberry and mulberry aromas with a hint of cedar and pepper. Similar berry fruits show through on the opulent, textured palate with a lingering finish.

Fermentation took place over 10 – 12 days in a combination of open and static fermenters. The temperature was closely monitored to ensure the wine retains its natural fruit expression. New and older French and American oak was used for the maturation of selected wine parcels over a period of 13 months.  These parcels were put together from our family estate to best demonstrate the depth and character of our fruit, balanced by integrated oak.

Review:

"Garnet black color. Exotic, attractive aromas and flavors of chocolate mint, black raspberry tart a la mode, and basil and curry leaves with a silky, bright, fruity medium body and a compelling, medium-length finish with elements of spiced nuts, chocolate herb muffin, hint of marinated peppers, and vanilla pod with fine, chewy tannins. A exotically spicy and herbal shiraz with a great style and sense of place."  Tastings (June 2018),  Gold Medal - - Exceptional

Australian Wine Showcase 2018, 93 pts

Argot Mosaic Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

Review:

"The 2016 Chardonnay Mosaic simply sings of honeyed peaches, apple pie and spiced pears with nuances of marzipan, ginger and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with stone fruit and spiced apple layers with a creamy texture and fantastic freshness, finishing on a lingering honeyed note. 600 cases produced. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown" - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #237, June 2018), 91 pts

Lancel Creek Vineyard is perched above the tiny hamlet of Occidental on the remote Sonoma Coast. This secluded, two-acre site was prepared, planted, and is still tended by Ulises Valdez. The pale, off-white Goldridge soil provides just enough nutrients and moisture for these densely planted vines to ripen a small amount of intensely aromatic and flavorful Chardonnay. The vineyard faces the Pacific Ocean, a mere five miles to the west. The combined influence of the cold Pacific and the warming afternoon sun produces a wine of incredible richness and sublime balance.

Soil types: Goldridge, fine sandy loam.
Age of the vines: 15 years

Review:

Flirting with perfection, the 2016 Chardonnay Lancel Creek Vineyard offers a touch more zip in its crushed lemon, white flowers, mint, and honeysuckle, aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, yet just incredibly pure, this is a heavenly Chardonnay that's getting up there with the crème de la crème in the vintage. Tasting like a Grand Cru Chablis on Steroids, it's going to continue drinking beautifully for over a decade. It's a wow wine and should be sought out by readers. The Chardonnay of the vintage? - Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points

Silver Eagle Vineyard rests atop Stoetz Ridge, the land mass that divides the remote Sonoma Coast from the Russian River Valley. This vineyard experiences both the cooling ocean breezes of the nearby Pacific, as well as the warmth of the interior valley. The Chardonnay made from this unique confluence of climates is extraordinary; a fascinating juxtaposition of briny minerality and candied citrus.

Average age of the vines is 10 years.

100% native fermentation (primary and secondary), long cool fermentations often lasting up to a full year, minimal lees stirring, no additions of any kind (commercial yeast, water, acid, enzymes, etc ...)

Ageing: 12 months sur lie in 60 gallon Burgundian barrels. 6 additional months in stainless. 
Cooperage: Francois Freres 100% French Oak, Vosges and Troncais forrests, 40% new oak.

Never any fining or filtration.

Review:

"The Silver Eagle Vineyard is owned and farmed by Ulises Valdez. The 2016 Chardonnay Silver Eagle Vineyard has a gorgeous nose of honeycomb and beeswax, crushed stone, toasted hazelnut and lime peel with a core of Golden Delicious, quince, apricot and peach. Medium to full-bodied and intensely flavorful in the mouth, it's balanced by very juicy acidity and a touch of texture, finishing very long, honeyed and layered. Yum! 110 cases produced. - Erin Brooks”-

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (issue #242, April 2019), 95+ pts

Mt Monster Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay. 

Gentle pressing and free run juices create the base of this wine. 

Traditionally Mt Monster Chardonnay is 100% fermented and matured in stainless steel, this receives some lees contact to add texture and complexity to the palate, but essentially this wine is pure Chardonnay fruit.

Review & Tasting notes:

Bright straw color, with hints of lime green. Fresh figs and melon, with vibrant lemon citrus fruit. The nose also shows some yeast complexity from extended lees contact. Fresh tangy melon fruit flavors, & a clean acid finish. Although it may benefit from up to 2 years maturation in bottle, this wine is best consumed when young and fresh.

- Australian Wine Showcase (December 2016), 94 pts