D'Arenberg The Witches Berry Chardonnay 2023 750ml is a lively and beautifully balanced Chardonnay blending fruit from McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills. Bright flavours of peach, lemon zest, green apple, and tropical fruit are layered with subtle notes of baking spice, creaminess, and gentle toast from seven months of maturation in old French oak. Small additions of Viognier and Marsanne add ripe apricot richness and aromatic complexity, while crisp natural acidity delivers a refined, fresh finish.

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A lively, balanced wine full of peaches and cream, lemon zest and green apple.
A classic chardonnay, through and through. A blend of McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills fruit, this wine exhibits stonefruit and tropical characters, as well as a more savoury spice and toastiness. Small percentage of Viognier and Marsanne blended with this Chardonnay deliver ripe apricot and baking spices. There is an element of crunchy acid that produces a refined, fresh, and crisp finish. Delightful.

Winemaking
Small batches of grapes are gently crushed, chilled and then transferred to specially designed steel basket presses. Gentle extraction of the juice is critical in these early stages to retain the delicate fruit characters. To add complexity and mouthfeel the wine is fermented and matured in old French oak for seven months. None of the white wines at d'Arenberg are subject to malolactic fermentation as we aim for the retention of fresh, natural acidity, which is integral to the balance and longevity of the wine.

Behind the name
Witches Berry is a weed that grows in the vineyards. Italian women once put the juice of the berry in their eyes which dilated their pupils, making them appear darker and more beautiful.