Given a tidy 92 Pt's by Halliday and I agree wholeheartedly!
It's been said that the Antarctic winds blowing off the Bass Strait buffet the vines on the hill, and encourage the yielding of intense grapes - which would explain the flavour packed into this bottle. An intense nose displaying stone fruit, melon, fig, and cashews balanced by a slightly spicy oak background, the flavour is a tightly woven blend of nectarine, melon and citrus fruits with an underlying flinty backbone complimented by a creamy mouthfeel. A lingering aftertaste of spices, nuts and oak give this wine a strong finish. Will do especially well if allowed to get a little dusty and cellared for 4-6 years.
James halliday: 92 (2012) Crushed and pressed to tank for cultured yeast initiation of fermentation, then to new and used French oak for completion of primary fermentation and 100% mlf. There is a distinct straw tinge to the colour; the bouquet and palate are very complex, but the purity of varietal fruit is slightly compromised.
Scotchmans Hill was named by Scottish immigrants who settled the Mount Bellarine area in the 1840s. The viticulture began in 1842 when the first planting of vines was undertaken on the surrounding Barrabool Hills. Various clones of Chardonnay, harvested off vines over twenty years of age, each yielding a kilogram and a half of fruit, are grown to clay volcanic soil with basalt and limestone subsoils. Crushed and pressed to fermenters, the musts are racked, inoculated and run to barrel for vinification at moderate temperatures, treated to a regular lees stirring without any malolactic. The finished wine is matured in a selection of seasoned and new Vosges French oak barriques for a year before bottling.
