Chardonnay

This is the variety known to grow well in most grape growing regions of Australia. In the Hunter Valley it takes on the characteristics of our soils and climatic conditions. The fruity characteristics of this variety are assisted in their preparation by maturation in French and American oak barrels.

The Chardonnays are the Catherine Vale “flagship” wines made with great attention to detail and offered in a style unique to our vineyard.

The grapes are carefully hand picked and checked for quality at the bins prior to transportation to the winery. The juice is fermented in stainless steel vats and there is some partial barrel fermentation before being transferred to both new and 1,2,3 and 4-year-old American oak l barrels. Since 2010 French oak barrels have been used in the production of our "flagship" wine. At bottling juice for barrels and stainless steel are blended to our taste to provide the special Catherine Vale flavour.

Since 2010 we have used both French and American oak barrels in preparation of our Chardonnays. We work to reserve the fruit flavour of the Chardonnay and avoid the possibility of oak dominance. The wine is full bodied in flavour and the careful use of the oaks gives our "flagship " wine that extra complexity and dimension which makes Catherine Vale Chardonnay so special.

Catherine Vale's 2010 Chardonnay is the first to have been fermented in French Oak Barrels and has given the wine a new dimension. A must try. The 2011 and 2012 are now available for sale.