Hand-picked fruit was gently whole-bunch pressed into a tank and settled overnight. It was then transferred into French oak puncheons (20% New, 20% second use, 40% third use and 20% older) and inoculated with a neutral yeast. From April until June the barrels were stirred every two weeks until MLF was completed. For this vintage 90% completed MLF. The wine was left on yeast lees until November when it was transferred to tank to prepare for bottling. The wine was bottled early December 2021, 9 months after harvest.

Dexter

Todd Dexter grew up with wine. A childhood friendship one of Melbourne's premium wine merchants, the Crittenden family, introduced him to the vast world of wine. It was then no surprise that in 1974, after working a ski season in the US, Tod ended up in the Napa Valley where he spent a seven-year apprenticeship with one of California’s premium family wineries, Cakebread Cellars. Tod moved home to Australia in January 1987 and after an extensive search, he and his wife Debbie bought a vineyard site at Tuerong on the Mornington Peninsula. Later that year, they planted their first 1.6 hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Tod then joined Brian Stonier at Stonier Wines as head winemaker. Over the next ten years, Tod and Brian grew the company to become one of Australia’s premium producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. During this decade the wines Tod created received many accolades both at home and internationally, and the Dexter vineyard provided Stonier with reserve-grade fruit under the careful eye of Tod and Debbie. During a formative trip to France in 2000, where they visited the most famous Pinot Noir producers in the world, Tod and Debbie gained a new respect for the concept of terroir and the responsibility to future generations in caring for the land. Tod also had reinforced to him the importance of attention to detail in both the vineyard and winery. This trip was what encouraged Tod and Debbie to take the next step and produce their own wine from the vineyard that they had established and cared for through its formative years. Thus, almost 20 years after the first vines in the Dexter vineyard were planted, Dexter Wines was born.

About Chardonnay

Chardonnay This famous French variety is easily the most recognised and enjoyed white wine worldwide. Chardonnay has been grown in, experimented with and been successfully adapted to just about every wine-producing region on earth. Chardonnay offers diverse styles from the lean, steely structured, crisp and clean styles, to the more rich, full bodied examples, often enhanced by toasty vanillin oak characters. Chardonnay offers a wonderful spectrum of flavours, from those of lemon and apple through to exotic, tropical fruits and spices. It seems there is a chardonnay to please just about every palate! So what makes it so appealing? Wine consumers love it! Chardonnay offers a range of styles, from crisp ‘Chablis' style examples, to rich and buttery versions. Viticulturists love it! It grows well in a range of climates and soils. It achieves a good level of ripeness, is impervious to disease and apart from spring frosts, climatic threats are limited during the passage of the vineyard year through good vineyard management. Winemakers love it too! Chardonnay is a versatile variety that thrives in a range of climates and soils. As well as achieving a good level of ripeness, it is relatively resistant to disease, and apart from spring frosts, climatic threats are limited during the passage of the year. Key Facts About Chardonnay Chardonnay’s spiritual homeland is Burgundy in France, although there is evidence that links it back to Lebanon in the Middle East. In France it is responsible for the wines known as Chablis and Macon as well as the Village, Premier and Grand Cru wines of the Côte d’Or. Chardonnay is the consummate world traveler. Since the 1960s chardonnay has migrated to all wine growing countries and is produced around the globe. Chardonnay wines are medium straw in colour, deepening to rich yellow and gold with age. Rarely do you see a chardonnay that is pale white in colour, although we have come a long way from the deep heavy yellows of new world chardonnays produced in the 1970s and 1980s. Chardonnay has lots of flavour but this is balanced by a good deal of natural acidity. This balance lends itself to depth of flavour and all well made chardonnays have plenty of dimensions to enjoy. Chardonnay in Australia Nowhere is the versatility of this wonderful grape variety better expressed than across the vineyards, regions and winemaking styles of Australia. The Aussie chardonnay scene is defined by regional diversity making it a virtual playground for our viticulturists and grape growers. Our winemakers develop expertise experimenting with the many regional styles of chardonnay and the numerous winemaking techniques associated with this variety. In Australia, we are not inhibited by the appellation restrictions that put a straight jacket around European grape growers and winemakers, forcing specific varieties to be grown in specific regions. Australian chardonnays, apart from being delicious and well crafted, won’t burn a hole in your pocket. We like to ensure our wines are affordable and able to be enjoyed by as many people as we can. Australian chardonnay is not the world’s cheapest, but the value it represents has carried our reputation around the globe. Regional Chardonnay Chardonnay grows well in almost every wine region of Australia and is the mainstay of a great many vineyards. Its certainty of ripening and universal demand gives a grower something of an assurance against the fickle swings of weather and market place. Chardonnay loves to grow in all climates, producing quite different wines in each. In cooler regions like the Yarra Valley,  Tasmania, Tumbarumba and Orange chardonnays show delicate flavours of citrus, grapefruit and green apple. The acidity is lively, sometimes even racy or steely and the fruit is pure, focused and lean. In warmer regions, particularly the Hunter Valley and Margaret River we grow richer chardonnays that show tropical fruit flavours like peach and apricot. In distinctly warm to hot areas like the Barossa Valley, we find rich expressions of ripe pineapple and fig really lifting out of the glass. Australian chardonnays, apart from being delicious and well crafted, won’t burn a hole in your pocket. We like to ensure our wines are affordable and able to be enjoyed by as many people as we can. Australian chardonnay is not the world’s cheapest, but the value it represents has carried our reputation around the globe.

About Mornington Peninsula

The Mornington Peninsula is an inspiring wine region, known for high quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio also grow well in the region's ideal, maritime climate. Located 70 kilometres south of Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is surrounded by three bodies of water (including Port Philip Bay and the Bass Strait), providing ideal cooling breezes (it can be windy at times)  and cooler nights that helps the grapes to retain their acidity. The white wines are fragrant and display pure fruit characteristics such as apple, pear and citrus. The Pinot Noir can be either light or more structured, depending on the location of the vineyard and winemaking techniques.

Closure: Screw Cap

Country: Australia

Wine Body: Medium Bodied

Wine Sweetness: Dry

Size: 750mL

Non Alcoholic: No

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