Hundred Hills Hillside No.3 2019
The grapes for Hundred Hills 'Hillside No.3' come from a final pick of the ripest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay bunches on Hundred Hills’ south-facing Hillside. The thin top soils and flint cover over 160 metres of chalk. The grapes were all harvested by hand and transferred to the nearby winery. After gentle pressing in the Coquard press, the Pinot Noir musts were fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and the Chardonnay musts were fermented in Rousseau casks and barrels. A selected yeast strain ‘La Marquise’ was used and a full co-inoculated malolactic fermentation took place. The Pinot Noir musts were aged in only stainless steel tanks, but all Chardonnay lots passed through Rosseau casks or barrels for one to six months to soften them, alongside regular bâtonnage. The base wines were blended and bottling took place the year following harvest. The wine then spent thirty months ageing on the lees prior to disgorgement. Biscuity shortbread aromas lead into ripe citrus, yellow apples and Mirabelle plums on the nose. This is followed by a rich creamy palate reminiscent of the perfect lemon tart.
