Grigsby Chardonnay 2025

Grigsby Chardonnay is made from a 0.87-acre vineyard block, originally planted in 2007 and grafted to Chardonnay clone Bernard 76 in 2019. The vine spacing is 1.0m and the row spacing is 1.2m (8,333 vines/hectare), with north-south row orientation. The soils are dark clay over weathered basalt and limestone. It is a robust site, while remaining relatively early ripening. The combination of vine density and site exposure gives us fruit with a broad flavour profile and good concentration.

Handpicked parcels of fruit were whole bunch pressed, settled overnight, and racked to barrels for a wild yeast fermentation in French oak hogsheads; approximately 40% was new oak. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally on 75% of the blend and completed in spring. The wine was left on lees, mostly unstirred, for 10 months prior to blending and bottling.

Ripe stone fruits, fennel, white chocolate and creamy oak aromas immediately distinguish Grigsby, which always leans into a broader, richer style of Chardonnay. The palate builds with grip and generosity: ripe fruit, a touch of nougat, spiced yoghurt, with Clone 76 bringing a distinctive fruit flavour spectrum and the high-density planting adding another layer of concentration and texture. There is immediate generosity and deliciousness here, underpinned by structure, saline freshness and acidity, with plenty of power beneath it all. Expansive but not loose, it's a complex, layered wine that continues to evolve in the glass, the most complete expression of Grigsby to date.