2007 The Lucky Lizard

© Matt Golding

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Harvest Dates:
6 March- 30 March
Oak Maturation:
100% in French oak barriques.
Glucose + Fructose:
3.0 g/L
Alcohol by Vol:
13.5%
Titratable Acid:
7.4 g/L
pH
3.13
Bottling Date:
29th November 2007
Chief Winemaker:
Chester d’Arenberg Osborn

Other Vintages

During the summer months, native Bearded Dragon Lizards sun themselves on the vineyard posts and watch for prey. Occasionally during the grape harvest, these lizards are dislodged and find their way into a load of grapes destined for the winery. Lucky for the lizards, d’Arenberg uses a very gentle Demoisy crusher which allows the lizards to pass through the ordeal slightly shaken but unharmed, returning to the bushland next to the winery. The gentleness of our crusher also plays an important part in retaining the delicate fruit flavours of this Chardonnay from the cool climate Adelaide Hills region.

A polished pale appearance with yellow tints and pale hues. The aroma is very complex and tight. It is dominated by smoky oak and lees fermentation notes with fruit characters suggesting ripe red apples, ripe grapefruit and cold river pebble mineral notes. Some underlying fig and peach characters come through as the wine opens up with alluring French oak notes in the background.

The flavours are from the cool-climate spectrum dominated with ripe citrus and minerals mixed with nectarines, green melon rind, roasted pistachios and flower stems The wine has a fine melted-butter texture and lacy acidity that follows through to the finish with excellent richness and intensity.

This wine is a lovely drink now example and will develop further richness and complexity over a number of years.

2007 will be remembered as the earliest start to vintage ever due to extreme drought conditions not seen for decades. Even the Adelaide Hills which is regarded as a ultra premium cool climate wine region, due to its altitude, moderate to high rain fall and cool to cold night temperatures through the growing and ripening season, didn’t escape the effects caused by the drought.

Late January a 50mm downpour swept through the region which set the harvest up beautifully by reducing yields further due to berry split. Bunch numbers, bunch size and weights were already down. 

Moderate to warm weather followed with bursts of heat which set the fruit up for a stress free early harvest without any dilution of flavours and concentration with excellent levels of natural acidity.

The many different vineyards throughout the Adelaide Hills, some of the coldest highest altitude vineyards planted, require constant berry sampling by Chester to determine optimum ripeness and flavour development. Fruit from each vineyard is picked and kept separate through out vinification and maturation. 

The separate parcels of fruit, once crushed, were lightly basket pressed in d’Arenberg specially designed presses, ensuring the gentle extraction of the variety’s delicate fruit flavour. Fermentation took place in a combination of new, one and two-year-old French oak barriques. After 7 months oak maturation, only the best barrels of Chardonnay were selected for release under The Lucky Lizard label.

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