Vintage Notes
The 2014 vintage in the Piccadilly Valley began warm and finished cool with the final heat summation exactly on the long-term average. The heat summation for 2014 in the Piccadilly Valley was 1175C days against the long-term average of 1172C days.
2014 was a vintage of above average rainfall from the winter and on through the growing season. There were very few hot days and no heat waves.
Cool and misty conditions at flowering and the strong growth of the vines contributed to a poor flowering and fruit set and a low crop, which was harvested at the normal time on the 2nd of April.
Tapanappa 2014 Tiers Chardonnay was made entirely from The Tiers old vines planted in 1980. The Chardonnay clone of the old Tiers Vineyard was known in Australia as OF and was derived from an old Davis, California, clone originally imported into California from Mersault in the 1880’s.
Winemaking Notes
Hand harvested Tiers Chardonnay grapes were de-stemmed, crushed and chilled to a small air bag press.
The 2C free-run juice combined with the light pressings was settled for 48 hours then racked and gravitated to French Vosges oak barriques (33% new) for fermentation in a cool cellar.
As soon as the primary fermentation was finished, the barriques were topped and the wine was left to undergo malo-lactic fermentation and to mature on full lees for 10 months.
In the spring the wine was racked off lees and given a minimal dose of sulphur dioxide and returned to barrique.
2014 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay was clear racked off malo-lactic lees and bottled in February 2015.
The post bottling analysis of 2014 Tiers Chardonnay is
| Alcohol | 13.5% |
| pH | 3.19 |
| Total Acid | 7.2gpl |
| Volatile Acidity | 0.38gpl |
| SO2 | 108ppm |
The Taste of the Wine
2014 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay is the product of a cool vintage.
The flavours are of ripe Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay but with the nectarine and melon overtones of the cool vintage. The significant natural acid and grapefruit finish is poised against these cooler flavours. Tiers Chardonnay always has a refined but noticeable texture.
2014 vintage in the Piccadilly Valley was an excellent vintage and the 2014 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay is “a pure expression of the unique Tiers Vineyard terroir.”
