2020 Archer Beau Chardonnay

One of the cyclical delights over our many years crafting wine has been the opportunity to share our single-barrel, limited edition wines named for our beautiful boys. Archer Chardonnay takes the very best of our Swaby barrels – as determined by Kirsty’s well-honed palate – and preserves it over 15 months in barrel, with nine or 10 months of bâttonage. The full impact of the 2020 vintage can be seen in this wine. More masculine-leaning perhaps than other vintages with an intense nose of biscuits and blackened butter. The palate is at once tight and concentrated but full and smooth, with puckering, gentle acids woven throughout. Simultaneously refined and easy to drink with pithy, custard apple and kumquat notes, sewn in with balanced oak. A genuine delight now, with the robustness to age with considerable grace. (Not unlike Archer the boy.)

100% Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay, wild yeasts, 15 months in 100% new French oak, 9-10 months bâttonage, only one barrel produced.