Rush Brothers vineyard, Malmsbury - Macedon G.I

A fairly pale straw hue turning gold.

First waft is all honey and treacle and spring flowers. It's a sunny, warm wine. Second wiff is passionfruit flowers, lime rind, wet quartz and white miso.

Similarly, the palate is engulfing and generous in the first sip - sweet meyer lemon, ripe apricot, brioche. Time with the wine shows the shape is curvaceous on the edges and quite firm through the palate - soft and strong, very beautiful to my eye. More pithy lemon, that quartzy, white mineral pushing through and persist- ing on the back palate leaving one salivating. Geeze, I’m enjoying this glass. The rocks just keep turning up the volume with time in the glass.

The texture is mouth coating, comforting and pleasantly oily with a persistent mineral grip and sufficient acid to call you back for another sip.

Eat - French onion soup. Roast winter veg / chook with plenty of tarragon and fennel. Some proper blue cheese afterwards.

Listen - I’d Rather Go Blind, Etta James

I think this wine captures the sunshine of 2020 from a beautiful, mineral laden and well farmed hill in Malmsbury. It will bring a little warmth, beauty and joy to a hearty winter meal.

Vineyard

From 1 acre of P58 clone on own roots planted on a north west / south east orientation. Soils are basalt with rusted basalt and quartz. The vineyard is dry grown and sits at 450 - 500m amsl on a gentle north- eastern facing slope.

The Rush Brothers vineyard is very astutely managed by John Rush who planted the vines in 1988. The canopy and yield management is exceptional and thus the use of a systemic fungicide is very limited here.

Winemaking

2020 was a challenging vintage for some parcels, but not this one. A dryish season with fairly healthy yields. Fortunately ripe just prior to rain with lovely complete flavours, some tension in the ripe skins and bright acidity.
Very gently whole bunch pressed direct to old french barrels. Long slow fermentation continued throughout the year. In January 2021 the wine was moved while still ticking into stainless, where it was sealed up for 12 months. Racked via gravity with some sulphur before a final rack again via gravity just prior to bottle. Bottled via gravity 03/02/2022 under Diam 10.

2020 Malmsbury Chardonnay

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