Quealy moved Splendido from a pét-nat style to traditional method beginning with the 2021 because the team felt this better suited the style and clarity they had in mind. Judging from the quality of this year and last, Tom McCarthy was bang on the money.
In further development, the 2022 fruit comes entirely from the certified-organic home vineyard in Balnarring. Quealy planted Moscato Giallo in 2014 and recently bottled their first still wine from the vines; you can read more on that here. The bunches are large and loose, with thick, hardy skins and deep-yellow berries. As with most members of the Moscato family, you can expect vibrant, perfumed aromatics and ripe, sunny flavours. The fruit was picked at the end of March at nine baumé to preserve perfume and acidity. It was immediately gently pressed (just 500 litres per tonne) to steel tank for fermentation. After malolactic conversion, the wine was tiraged and immediately bottled for secondary fermentation. It was disgorged by hand and made without any sulphur or dosage.