Toolangi Pauls Lane Chardonnay 2024

Description

Helmut Konecsny, the owner of Rochford Wines, has purchased Toolangi Vineyards and has immediately started ringing in the changes. Of course, it’s early days, but from what we have seen so far, the future for Toolangi now looks very, very bright. Apart from the new packaging, Konecsny and his team seem very serious about rejuvenating and upgrading the work in the vines. This was, after all, one of the few Yarra producers to engage the services of renowned soil scientist Claude Bourguignon on his recent visit to Australia, and the Toolangi vineyard was one of the sites he analysed. In terms of winemaking, Toolangi will now control its own destiny with the talented duo of Kaspar Hermann (stints at Seville Estate, Viticoltori De Concillis in Campania, Coldstream Hills, Punch and 8 years as assistant winemaker at Mount Mary before joining Toolangi) and Kelly Healey (started his wine career in Otago in his homeland of New Zealand then Chandon in the Yarra Valley and Moet & Chandon in India, followed by a spell at Kilchurn in Macedon). Crucial to the Toolangi team is experienced viticulturist, John Evans (previously Chief Viticulturist at Yering Station for 14 years, Vineyard Manager at Yarra Ridge and worked at De Bortoli, as well as various Vineyard Consulting roles including the setup and redevelopment of Toolangi Vineyard in 2001, which he has continued to this day.)  Safe to say, John knows the Yarra like the back of his hand and exactly how to get the best from the Toolangi vineyard.

There are now only two tiers of wine—the Toolangi and Paul’s Lane labels.

Toolangi Vineyard is one of the Yarra Valley’s great Chardonnay sites. Nestled in the Dixon’s Creek subregion and adjoining the Toolangi State Forest, this sheltered, low-cropping site is planted to Gingin, Mendoza and I10V3 Chardonnay clones that sit in fine clay-loam soils. Year after year, this unique vineyard produces wines with a distinctive personality and strong sense of place. Pauls Lane Chardonnay comes from just 20 rows within the D Block on the 11-hectare property. All these vines are I10V3 planted when the vineyard was first established in 1995.

The fruit was handpicked on 2nd March, three weeks earlier than the previous year when conditions were cooler. The fruit was crushed, destemmed and pressed to French oak (20%) for fermentation and nine months’ maturation on lees. Winemaker Kaspar Hermann shies away from malolactic conversion for Pauls Lane, finding the I clone has natural acid/flavour balance without it. After a couple of low-cropping years, the mild and uneventful spring of 2024 saw better flowering and a bounce-back of sorts for yields. The harvest period was warm and even, and the resulting wines are packed full of pure citrus and stone fruit flavours with attractive zesty acidity, delicate spice and a saline flick on the lengthy close. This is full-tilt Chardonnay made by one of the best in the business!

96 points, Philip Rich, Halliday Australian Wine Companion “From a single block of now 30-year-old vines. A bright gold with green tinges. Complex aromas of white nectarine, lemon verbena and a gentle lick of vanilla from the already and nicely integrated oak (20%). It’s generous on the palate, to be sure, but there’s a fine thread of grapefruit-like acidity on the long, structured finish. A lovely wine that’ll age well over the next six to eight years at least.”

RRP $53   **Our Special Price $42.50 when you buy 6 or more of this wine**