Patrick Underwood Chalmers Vineyard Colbinabbin Nebbiolo 2021

"A stunner by any measure, but especially so for nebbiolo, revealing both its beauty and its power. An elegant and fragrant introduction in rose petal and musk, red licorice, bright red fruits and wild herbs. A lovely purity is displayed on the palate, aromatic, lifted, medium bodied and well shaped in ripe, cherry tannins. It's a fine-edged youngster tight in trademark nebbiolo acidity and one with a big future." - 95 Pts Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion 

Vineyard

From the first crop grown on the new Chalmers Vineyard Nebbiolo planting. The planting contains an extremely diverse array of material. Planted on the sweet middle of the east-facing slope with E/W orientation, this block provides the best possible leaping-off point for the variety in the region, in my opinion. Soils are ancient Cambrian meta-basalt. This block in particular is positioned where the subsoils (greenstone and quartz) protrude through clay and silt. 

Clones of MAT 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and CV230 are planted on a mix of own roots, Richter 110, Teleki, 420A, and Paulsen. Farmed by Troy and Fleur McInnes for the Chalmers family.

In the cellar

Picked on March 18th. A selection of the most structured and high-acid clones were selected for the most perfumed and long-lived wine. MAT 1, 3, 9, 10, and CV 230 are complemented with smaller portions of MAT 5, 8, and 9. Co-fermented with destemming, regular pump-overs, and occasional délestage for 21 days. The wine was drained from the skins, without pressing, to stainless. Racked between stainless vessels periodically for two months before a year-long elevage in a new 2100L Garbelotto Slovenian oak cask. Prior to filling, the cask was saltwater seasoned for two months to remove oak tannin and toasting char. Regular racking with small sulfur additions was performed during the elevage prior to bottling. Bottled by hand on June 25th, 2022.