Kevin John Chardonnay, Cullen Wines 2021

Fruit for the 2021 Kevin John Chardonnay was picked over six dates (ranging from the 3rd of February to the 18th of February) on a range of flower and fruit days. Each pick was handled differently—a selection of basket pressing with and without whole bunches, into concrete eggs and French oak puncheons. The lower baume picks show startling numbers (acidity in Riesling territory); all of it went through wild fermentation and malolactic fermentation and matured for seven months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is excellent, in short. The detail in the winemaking is obvious in the mouth—the acidity has been mitigated by the malolactic fermentation and is the source of the crushed nuts and toast undercurrent of flavor and intensity in the mouth. It billows, but it is also more "on the rails" than some of the previous, warmer vintages. This is very contained, yet true to the fruit power that defines the site.