97 points - "A blend of Gingin and Bernard clones planted in '97 in Gruyere. Fermented and matured in mainly puncheons and one new 1200L foudre. Expressive with aromas of stone fruits, candied ginger, grapefruit and roasted hazelnut. Just as good on the beautifully concentrated mid-palate, finishing with mouth-watering acidity on the very long, pithy finish. An excellent Sexton to drink now and over the next six to eight years." - Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion

96 points - "The lines are long, the flavour is pure. This is all mineral and white peach, lemonade and pear, with grapefruit biting in the background and nougat tucked within. It’s immediately impressive, beautifully well sustained, complex in a hand-in-glove way. Cellar this; it needs a year or three. It will be great." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

Vintage Notes
Size: 23 Hectares Located on the steep, north-facing slopes of the Warramate Ranges, Sexton Vineyard is one of the Yarra Valley’s iconic Chardonnay sites. Set high on the slopes, the vineyard has thin topsoil and shallow gravelly loams over a tough rocky clay base. In this low-yielding environment, the vines produce intensely flavoured fruit with a high skin-to-juice ratio. The predominant clones are Gingin and Mendoza, known for producing “hen and chicken” bunches, with large and small berries on the same bunch. This clonal character brings white tannin and texture to balance the vineyard’s bright citrus profile. Sexton produces some of our most confident and open Chardonnays, shaped by its northern aspect, exposure and clonal selection. We often see energy and drive, with flavours of yuzu, ginger snap biscuit and preserved lemon, finishing with dimensional texture from the interplay of fruit, cream, acid and tannin.

Vineyard Notes
Location: Gruyere Planted: 1997 Elevation: 130 - 210 metres Soil Type: Grey clay loam over granite / ironstone Aspect: North facing slopes Size: 23 Hectares Located on the steep, north-facing slopes of the Warramate Ranges, Sexton Vineyard is one of the Yarra Valley’s iconic Chardonnay sites. Set high on the slopes, the vineyard has thin topsoil and shallow gravelly loams over a tough rocky clay base. In this low-yielding environment, the vines produce intensely flavoured fruit with a high skin-to-juice ratio. The predominant clones are Gingin and Mendoza, known for producing “hen and chicken” bunches, with large and small berries on the same bunch. This clonal character brings white tannin and texture to balance the vineyard’s bright citrus profile. Sexton produces some of our most confident and open Chardonnays, shaped by its northern aspect, exposure and clonal selection. We often see energy and drive, with flavours of yuzu, ginger snap biscuit and preserved lemon, finishing with dimensional texture from the interplay of fruit, cream, acid and tannin.

Winemaking
100% handpicked and whole bunch pressed. The juice is transferred to barrel by gravity with no settling, taking on full lees. Wild fermented. 500L French puncheons and a new 1200L Foudre (Mercurey). A small amount of bâtonnage post fermentation and 15% malolactic fermentation. Maturation for 9 months in new and used French oak – 31% new, 69% seasoned, Taransaud, Mercurey, Vallaurine and Dargaud & Jaeglé.

Peak Drinking / Cellaring Potential
Now - eight years