Mea Culpa Chardonnay
Innocent Bystander
Minimum order of 1 case or 6 bottles (Mixed or straight)
An exceptionally complex barrel fermented Chardonnay, with powerful fruit intensity and high natural acidity. An outstanding Yarra Valley wine.
Mea Culpa is an admission of guilt, an unapologetic acknowledgment that we should have known better. While we generally steer well clear of the navel gazing snobbery of the wine world, with Mea Culpa we give over to passion, take exceptional parcels of fruit and indulge in winemaking debauchery to create a uniquely expressive wine. This is not a wine that claims perfection, but a wine that delivers an expression of site, vintage and winemaking character. If indulging in your passion is a crime, then we are guilty as charged.
- Freshly picked basket of stone fruit with salted cashews and almonds.
- The flavours linger on the palate until the cool climate acidity provides perfect balance.
While Innocent Bystander wines are best paired with people, the Mea Culpa Chardonnay is also a perfect addition to an indulgent charcuterie board. For the ultimate pairing, we recommend Yarra Valley Dairy cheeses and some great company.
The winemaking process involved a selective machine harvest with 75% fermented in oak puncheons and barriques, and 25% fermented in tank. A combination of wild and inoculated yeasts were used. The wine matured for 8 months in French oak, with 25% new. Bottled in November of 2024.
| Vineyard Region | Yarra Valley |
| Wine Analysis | Alc/Vol: 13% |
| Colour | A golden hue reminiscent of a beautiful sunset. |
| Aroma | A powerful hit of white peach and nectarine along with seductive toast and nutty oak. |
| Palate | This Chardonnay is like feasting on a freshly picked basket of stonefruit while still in the orchard and chasing them down with salted cashews and almonds. The flavours linger on the palate until the cool climate acidity provides perfect balance. |
| Peak Drinking | Cellar up to 5 years after vintage. |
| Growing Conditions | The 2024 season was a tail of two halves. The spring of the previous year was consistently cool and wet leading to small compact bunches of chardonnay. Several large rain events kept our growers on their toes and thankfully the rain stopped just before harvesting started in March. The remainder of the season was ideal for Chardonnay providing powerful fruit intensity with high natural acidity. |
