australia eastern peaks
Grape variety: Chardonnay
Second range made from 5 nearby fields (Eastern Peak, Mount Coghill, Two Mile Hill, Pirrepoint & Moonambel) including our own fields. All bunch pressed, natural fermentation in 300L & 228L oak barrels (30% new barrels), aged for 12 months (with MFL). Aged in stainless steel for a further 4 months and bottled with a small amount of sulfites. No clarifier, no filter.
Acacia, lilac, yellow peach, butter and yoghurt are rich and gorgeous, and the delicacy and minerality unique to cool climates. The aftertaste is also wonderful.
"Western Victoria Chardonnay 2021" is an entry cuvée for Eastern Peak released this year, including purchased grapes from our own vineyards and surrounding vineyards.
A gorgeous and rich aroma of acacia, lilac, pear, banana, yellow peach, etc., and the high acidity and minerals unique to cool climates are delicately intertwined. The taste of the barrel is elegant, and butter and biscuits come to mind, but yogurt is also at the same time. A delicious Chardonnay that has a long finish and is classical, but still has Owen Rattata's texture and drinkability.
EasternPeak is a winery located in Coghills Creek, about 25km from the town of Ballarat, Victoria, and is home to Australia's proud new generation ratta brewer OwenLatta. Owen, who was originally born as the second generation of this winery, launched LATTA, a micronegothian label, to challenge creatively from a wider range of production areas and varieties with his own hands, and he cultivated it himself. Grapes from our own vineyards, mainly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, are what we call the Eastern Peak domaine (although some of the second range also includes purchased grapes).
The fields of Eastern Peak are hilly areas located at an altitude of 430m, and the soil is loamy containing iron-containing clay and basalt. Its cool climate and low risk of disease make it an ideal terroir for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Owen's parents founded the winery in 1983, following the advice of the late legendary Australian winemaker Trevor Mast, who saw the potential of the region, although it was not originally a wine region. In other words, Owen grew up surrounded by vineyards here, but the environment is terrible, and when Owen was 15 years old, he was already involved in brewing. Until 2018, we continued to cultivate without irrigation and without the use of chemicals, but after experiencing an unprecedented drought in 2019, we became acutely aware of the need to respond to climate change, placing a greater burden on the environment. By purchasing equipment that does not exist, we will use groundwater as much as possible. Currently, we are working on organic farming, which Owen believes himself, while incorporating the ideas of biodynamic and quantum agriculture.
As with the Negos label "Latta", all wines at Eastern Peak are naturally fermented with indigenous wild yeasts, and do not use any filtering or fining agents other than a small amount of sulfur dioxide added during bottling. But Owen said, "Great winemakers can't leave their DNA in wine, but wine always reflects the land where the grapes were grown. That's why a truly great wine has a good terroir and is suitable." The essence of Eastern Peak resides in the field, as he says.
