Sinapius Close Planted Chardonnay 2023

Juicy white peach, nectarine and grapefruit fruit with hints of crème fraîche, gentle spice, clover blossom, crushed shell, grilled nuts and a light lick of vanillin oak. Such lovely fruit flow on the palate. Delicate and vivid with a light umami sheen to its saline acidity, finishing with white peach, grapefruit and lemon zest.

Grown exclusively from our dry grown, high density planted blocks. 7,700 – 9,615 vines per hectare, and 9 different Chardonnay clones, harvested at less than 1kg per vine. The grapes were handpicked at 11.5-12° baumè, then pressed to tank without enzymes. Lightly settled overnight, then transferred to barrel retaining most of the solids. Wild yeast fermentation and maturation in 600, 500 litre and 225 litre French oak barrels (15% new) for 12 months. 100% malolactic fermentation.

The wine was blended after 12 months on full lees and settled in tank for a further six months to allow for integration and natural clarification to avoid the need for fining or filtration. Bottled in September 2024.

The vineyard features two distinct volcanic-based soils: deep red ferrosol and ironstone gravels, underlain by micaceous quartz siltstone 30–60cm below. Both soils contain large amounts of quartz and basalt, and hold moisture well which allows us to dry-grow our vines. The 4 distinct vineyard blocks face North-East and East which warms the soils early in the day and gives the vines full sun exposure to ensure optimal ripeness and flavour in our grapes.

Blocks are planted at a high density of 1.3m between rows x 1m between vines (7700 vines/ha) with some sections planted at 1.1m x 0.75m (10250 vines/ha). Our fruiting wire is positioned 40cm off the ground with an overall canopy height of approximately 1.2 metres. Each vine is pruned using Poussard technique to a single 8-10 bud cane therefore the yield per vine is significantly low (currently averaging less than 500 grams per vine).

So, what exactly is high-density planting—and why do we embrace it?

Our vineyard has been modelled on vineyard plantings in Burgundy, the homeland of exceptional Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Burgundy vineyards are generally planted at 1m wide row x 1-metre-wide vine spacings equating to 10,000 vines per hectare. Our philosophy at Sinapius is that in order to make great wine, yields per vine need to be low to ensure maximal intensity, concentration and expression of the site is evident in the wines.

Vineyard work in high-density blocks is back-breaking, labour-intensive, and almost entirely done by hand.This includes pruning in winter through to de-suckering, shoot positioning, summer pruning, leaf plucking, trimming, fruit thinning at bunch closure as well as netting to protect the grapes from the birds.

In 2019, we imported a narrow (90cm wide) crawler tractor from Italy. The Geier allows for easier access within our narrow rows and ensures minimal compaction to the soil. With the use of Braun undervine cultivation equipment, we are now able to manage weeds under the vines without the use of herbicide.

We grow a number of different varieties at Sinapius. We’ve planted a diverse array of clones across different blocks and soil types, each selected to highlight subtle variations in character.This allows for a greater expression of these varieties as each clones offers some subtle variation in characteristics, resulting in more complexity in the finished wines.

94 Points - Hlliday Wine Companion