2013

Archer’s Vineyard

Australia, South Australia, Barossa

$35 AUD

Release Price

2013-2023

Drink Window

13.5

ABV

3.21

pH

TA

6.02

RS

From The Winemaker

The Archer’s chardonnay vineyard, planted in the mid-1980s, has been named as a tribute to Alan and Mary Archer and is located high in the central cool-climate Adelaide Hills. The property had formally belonged to Alan and Mary Archer who ran The Chesser Cellar, a dining institution in Adelaide for many years. Alan had previously sold my father Cyril’s wine in Adelaide and became a well-loved ‘mine host’ at the Chesser. Mary loved to grow her own vegetables for the restaurant in her well tended garden on the farm at Lenswood. The ancient well-drained sandy loam soils derived from a sedimentary shale bedrock ensure naturally low-yielding vines and concentrated fruit flavours. All fruit is handpicked from individual blocks and fermented separately and lees aged in oak barrels. The cool-climate Adelaide Hills provides purity of fruit, beautiful acidity, length of flavour and great ageing potential.

Growing Conditions

The 2013 harvest was expected to be early, with the Easter full moon very close to the
autumn equinox, and sure enough budburst started early in spring 2012 with green shoots
emerging in the first week of September suggesting this would be so. All varieties woke to a
cool and mild spring, with cabernet the last to greet the sun on October 1. A snow flurry in
early October led into a mild November, with warm days and nights providing excellent
conditions for flowering. Set was excellent across all varieties. Spring was conspicuous for
its dryness but thankfully frost free, and as summer approached the vines developed
beautifully balanced canopies and rain was just a distant memory. It was not to rain again
until the end of harvest, seven dry months that produced a green drought. As harvest time
approached, it was abundantly clear that 2013 was going to be exceptional in terms of yield
and quality across all varieties - a rare thing in the lofty airs of Lenswood, where weather
events usually dictate terms that are best described as challenging!

Nose

Intense, lifted aromas of fragrant stone-fruits, custard apple, melon and citrus blossom with underlying hints of pear skin, clove, nougat and cashews.

Palate

The sweet and richly fruited palate is soft and focused with ripe pear skin flavours and supported by a luscious and creamy texture and deliciously fine acidity.

Appearance

Pale straw with green hues.

Aging

17% aged on lees in new 225L French oak barriques while the remaining 83% was lees aged in seasoned oak for 8 months prior to blending and bottling.

Harvest

Chardonnay and riesling were fabulous, as too were sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer, pinot gris, merlot and cabernet. Lenswood does not give up her fruit easily but every now and then she tosses a furtive glance your way and delivers the unexpected. The 2013 harvest will be remembered as near perfection in a year of snow and drought, truly a rare and exceptional vintage.

***Single day harvest***: 15 March 2013

Past Vintages