2023 Onannon Tuerong ‘Robinson’ Vineyard Chardonnay

• Planted between 1988 and 1994 on lower slopes
• 36-year-old vineyard
• The soil is a duplex clay loam and is plated to Chardonnay clones of p58 and i10V1
• D5V12, G5V15, 777,114,115 clone Pinot Noir
• The vineyard is split into three blocks which all ripen at slightly different times, usually leading to a ten-day picking window

Robinson vineyard is situated in a warmer pocket of the Mornington Peninsula and is slightly warmer than all our other sites. It is a vineyard that several producers on the Peninsula source quality fruit from. I have had a connection with the vineyard for 20 years now, both at Coldstream Hills in the early 2000’s and then at Stonier.

We are lucky enough to have access to three separate blocks of Chardonnay, planted to i10 and P58. The vines were planted between 1988 and 1994 on lower slopes. The soil is a duplex clay loam. The vineyard is split into three blocks which all ripen at slightly different times, usually leading to a 10-day picking window.

Each block is hand-picked and pressed straight to barrel. 20 percent new French oak and a portion fermented in 1000L portion in stainless steel egg, and portion in barriques. 100% MLF. Six barrels produced. This is a vineyard where I really honed the house style, by oxidising the juice to ward off tropical notes and to build savoury texture.

With this Chardonnay I am unashamedly throwing new oak around.  I use an oak producer used by and very close geographically to the Domaine I worked many vintages in Burgundy, Blain Gagnard.  With all respect to the vineyard here and to the incredible Burgundian Domaine, this is philosophically, an ode to those wines.

This Chardonnay shows notes of brioche, lemonade and cinnamon. It is packed with a tonne of flavour, stone fruit and citrus attacks, and finishes dry and savoury. – Will Byron, Onannon