2024 Leanganook Dash Farms Blanc

Dash Farms Vineyard, Faraday, Bendigo G.I.

Bright and clear, with flicks of green in the glass.
Very aromatic and so pithy! Zesty mango, sherbet and grapefruit with a mountain of pith.
Really zingy on the palate — lovely Meyer lemon, lime, mint and white nectarine, with a little reductive clay note. The texture is fine and chalky, guiding a moreish, long finish.

Vineyard

A trio of neighbouring blocks at Dash Farms. Riesling sits just above the Chardonnay, with the Gris immediately to the north — or to the left of view if you’re looking up the slope. All share the granite soils and westerly exposition, with a slightly more northerly aspect in both the Riesling and Chardonnay.

Winemaking

Harvested and processed separately, each variety brings very different qualities. We played to each grape’s strengths to create blending components that would balance one another.

Riesling was harvested on flavour. We were very careful with the juice, working without oxidation and clarifying it through a five-day cold settle. The clean juice was then fermented in stainless steel at relatively cool temperatures to retain aromatic purity. It was racked off heavy lees, underwent one malo and finished sugar-dry before further élevage in stainless and barrique.

Pinot Gris was harvested when numbers and flavours met in balance — a little earlier than we would historically for a maceration. The juice received some aggressive oxidation after a relatively firm press and was settled for a few days to reduce solids. The settled juice was then moved to a 1000L ceramic jar (amphora, if you prefer) for fermentation.

At the bottom of the jar, we placed 75kg of whole-bunch Chardonnay, hand-crushed. This method aimed to bring complexity of flavour, fine tannin and a satisfying mid-palate to the wine.

After winter, the Gris/Riesling blend was racked directly from solids to tank and combined with the stainless component and a single barrique of Riesling.
It was settled for a further month in tank before bottling.

Settled for a further month in tank pre bottle.