The Evolution of Stormflower Chardonnay

Followers of our Chardonnay will have noticed subtle changes in its style over the past few years as we continue our efforts to get the best out of our vineyard and fruit. With the 2022 Chardonnay now starting to mature and the 2023 Chardonnay about to be bottled, we think it is timely to share some of reasons behind this evolution.

While the Stormflower vineyard is in a beautiful location, it is a rugged and exposed spot to grow wine grapes. The slight northern aspect makes the vineyard hot through the fruit ripening stage, and the elevation of the vineyard and situation between coastal ridges brings onshore winds in at great force to an ancient gravel mound on which our Chardonnay is planted. The Chardonnay block is the most exposed to spring storms, and we often have flowering and fruit set impacted by strong winds and hail. We have been working hard to make the vineyard, and in particular the Chardonnay block, more resilient to extreme weather and disease by focusing on the health of the soil and consequently the vines. We began our organic journey more than 10 years ago and over this time the use of humates, fish emulsion, seaweed products and molasses has improved the native soil microbiology and contributed to soil health and the growing of better cover crops which protect the surface of the soil. To complement these simple organic practices, we have more recently focused on basic management of soil pH and nutrition, particularly organic phosphates, which has created a snowballing effect of good health in the vineyard.