Toolangi Vineyard, buried deep in the Yarra Valley on the outskirts of the Toolangi State Forest, was established in 1995 and has, over the years, established itself as one of the Valley’s most well-regarded sites. It’s planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz and is best known for producing premium, quintessential Yarra Valley Chardonnay from low-yielding clones of Gingin, Mendoza and I10V3. The vines are 22 years old on average and sit in fine clay loam soils.
The 2023 season will go down as one of the best in recent memory for Yarra Chardonnay. Though conditions were tough at times, winemaker Kaspar Hermann told us the season played out as “mild and kind” and produced whites of vibrancy and finesse. Hear, hear! The fruit was destemmed and pressed to French oak (10% new) for fermentation on lees. The wine then matured in wood for nine months. As is always the case, this punches well above its weight.