Hopeless Thoughtful Wine HONEYBUTTER 2024

Organic Chardonnay grown in Canowindra. The grapes were destemmed into an open fermenter and sealed for a gentle carbonic ferment. After 7 days on skins, they were pressed to stainless and left to rest for 12 months.

During a cellar clean-up after bottling a red wine, the weld on the tank valve unexpectedly cracked. I made the somewhat irrational decision to empty the light orange wine into the unrinsed, mostly empty, red wine barrel.

Initially the wine turned hazy brown, this was not ideal. But time persisted, and 6 months later, the wine was a nice peachy orange colour. It was then bottled without the addition of sulphur straight out of the barrel.

So after a total of 7 days on skins, 12 months in stainless, and 6 months in barrel, the wine is here.

It gives dried apricots, grapefruit peel and oregano, then finishes with a subtle condensed milk creaminess.