Scarborough Yellow Label Chardonnay 2015 (Hunter Valley)

Winemaking Notes

The Scarborough Yellow Label Chardonnay fruit is selected from the estate property, situated on deep hillside red/brown terra rossa of limestone parentage in the Hunter Valley. This unique terroir imparts distinctive mineral character and complexity to the wine. Ian Scarborough specialises in Chardonnay, from the full-flavoured Yellow Label to the light, crisp Blue Label style, and this varietal has become synonymous with Scarborough. The winemaking process focuses on creating classic Hunter Valley Chardonnay with body and personality. The wine is fermented and matured on lees for 12 months in both new and aged French oak, which contributes honey, buttery characters and integrated French oak flavours whilst adding creamy texture and complexity. The extended lees contact develops the wine's full, round and rich palate structure, whilst the careful balance of new and aged French oak ensures the oak flavours are beautifully integrated rather than overwhelming. This meticulous approach to winemaking, combined with fruit from the estate's distinctive terra rossa limestone soils, creates a wine that is beautifully structured and true to the style of previous releases. The result is the face of classic Hunter Chardonnay with the body and personality to match, showcasing Ian Scarborough's expertise in crafting full-flavoured Chardonnay that represents the best of Hunter Valley winemaking.

Vintage Conditions

The 2015 vintage in the Hunter Valley provided excellent conditions for Chardonnay production, resulting in wines with concentrated fruit character and well-balanced structure. The growing season allowed the estate-grown grapes from Scarborough's deep hillside terra rossa of limestone parentage to develop rich flavours of melon, butterscotch, honey and green melons whilst maintaining the natural acidity essential for balance and longevity. The unique terroir of the Hunter Valley, with its distinctive red/brown terra rossa soils over limestone, contributed mineral complexity and structure to the wine. The 2015 vintage has proven to be an exceptional year, with wines showing excellent development after over a decade of ageing. This vintage is drinking beautifully now, having developed complex tertiary characters whilst retaining its core of melon and butterscotch fruit. The wine shows good melon and butterscotch characters on the nose, and the palate is full, round and rich with a strong lingering aftertaste of cashews, honey and green melons. The beautifully structured wine with honey, buttery characters and integrated French oak flavours demonstrates why this vintage is true to the style of previous releases and represents the face of classic Hunter Chardonnay with the body and personality to match.