Pooley Butcher’s Hill Chardonnay 2023

The 2023 growing season started with budburst in September and continued with flowering in November. The vineyard experienced a lot of wind and rain during flowering which makes for very challenging conditions. Between October and December 2022, there was 230mm of rainfall at both of our vineyard sites. This would impact fruit set and reduce yields over all. Late December saw the rain disappear, leading away from the La Nina weather pattern and towards a drier, warmer El Nino period. It was a mild summer with no extremes of heat, whilst remaining warm. This is great for steady and slow development of flavour, acid, sugar, and tannin. All the elements that make for great quality wine.

Butchers Hill Vineyard is a prominent feature of the Richmond landscape as it protrudes from its borders. This site’s steep north-facing slope means that it receives some very long sunlight hours, protection from cold southern winds, and increased soil drainage. The iron oxide deposits in the soils allows for heat and water to be held longer as they are darker and more clay based. These soil attributes also interact with the production of flavonoids in the fruit which typically produces complex robust wines.