Our wine
Our holistic, nurturing approach to soil, vines and grapes produces premium quality and distinctive wines reflecting our site. We aim for elegant wines of finesse and the simple expression of the fruit. Bottle age brings complexity to our wines.
Meticulous work and care in the vineyard is followed by our gentle handling and attention to detail in the winery. We hand pick into 5kg buckets that are taken to our onsite winery within the hour. The wild yeasts on the berries ensure the ferment produces a unique character in the wine.
Our wines are fermented to dry and go through full malolactic conversion. Only tight grain, light toast french oak barrels are used to mature our wines.
Pinot Noir
Three clones of Pinot Noir are grown in separate blocks of just 400 vines each. Dijon clones MV6 & 115 were planted in 2003 & 777 in 2009. The grapes are blended in barrel at the first opportunity to meld the flavour and structure from the outset.
We gently destem the bunches into small fermenting vats and leave for the wild yeasts to complete the fermentation. We hand plunge 3 or 4 times each day to keep the grapes submerged and extract tannin and colour from the skins for 18 to 21 days.
The wine is basket-pressed off skins and put to barrels from the Allier forest to go through malolactic conversion. The wine matures in barrel for 18 - 20 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The Pinot Noir shows cherry aromas, fine tannin structure and length on the palate.
Chardonnay
Four clones of Chardonnay are grown in separate blocks of just 225 to 400 vines each. The clone P58 was planted in 2003, I10V1 & 124 in 2006 and 96 in 2009.
We gently crush and destem the bunches into small fermenting vats and leave for 6 hours on skins before gentle basket-pressing. The juice settles in tank for a day then put to barrel to ferment.
Estate Chardonnay
The Estate Chardonnay is fermented in a mix of new (ca. one-third) and used barrels of French oak. The wine matures in barrel for 15 months and is lightly fined before being bottled.
The Chardonnay is a full golden colour and shows citrus and white peach aromas, fine tannin structure and length on the palate. The soft mouthfeel of this wine reflects the natural conversion of the harsh malic acid to the softer lactic acid completed in barrel.
Desailly Chardonnay
The Desailly Chardonnay is named for Lee’s Great-Great-Grandfather who came to Main Ridge in 1839. The grapes for this special chardonnay are from a small parcel within the 2009 planting, fermented in 50% new oak barrels of Tronçais and Julipes forests.
This wine is made in the same way as the Estate Chardonnay but is a richer style reflecting the site and the clone.
