Innovation Ice Pressed Chardonnay 2024
Fraser Gallop Estate is a pioneer in Western Australia for this style of wine; the use of Chardonnay in a dessert wine style is rare and fitting for a region famous for its Chardonnays. In Canada and Germany ice wine is traditionally made from grapes frozen naturally on the vine. In our case we couldn’t hope for the grapes to freeze during our warm winters so we pick our fruit in pristine condition at the optimum time in before any rots or shrivel had set. We then freeze the whole bunch chardonnay grapes in a commercial freezer before pressing in our airbag press.
The results are stunning for several reasons. The wine shows a purity of fruit flavours and crisp acidity giving it a clean juiciness rather than a cloying finish. The fruit aromas and flavours are not clouded by other factors such as raisins, botrytis or other moulds which can be desirable in typical dessert styles.
This wine can be enjoyed as an aperitif, in cocktails or as a dessert style. Pâté or foie gras works beautifully with this wine. Pale gold colour with green hues. An exciting bouquet of citrus blossom, dried pineapple, lime marmalade, hay straw, lime tart and demerara sugar. Limey acidity keeps it from becoming cloying. Vivacious and intriguing. It’s concentrated, slippery with viscosity that has oak tannins dancing on the tongue to help lengthen the palate.