Wine Article
2017 Bindi Chardonnay Kostas Rind
Last edited on 3/21/2020 by LindsayM
There are 2 versions of this article / View version history
BINDI
KOSTAS RIND CHARDONNAY 2017
SHELF PRICE $65 | OFFER PRICE $55
This wine spent 11 months in barrel on yeast lees. As is normal, each barrel was filled directly from the press tray and a small amount of So2 was added. The wild yeast generally takes four days to begin to ferment the sugars and most barrels took five to six weeks to complete the fermentation. This wine is fresh and vibrant with typical aromas of white flowers, citrus and spice. It is also gently mealy and creamy despite the vitality and energy. The palate is zesty, balanced, textured, long and chalky. With air the nose becomes richer and more vibrant and the palate becomes more intense. These are good signs and we know that given twelve months in bottle, or more, increased complexity, texture and flow will develop. Recent openings of these wines from the mid 2000s to 2012 suggest five to ten years is a good time to see the wine at its best. MD
The 2017 season was a beauty. There were no days over 40 degrees and there were several significant rainfall events that alleviated stress on the vines (and us!). The fruit set in early December was extremely successful and the season was tracking a bit later than is recently usual. Easter in 2017 was mid April so the early April harvest date was no surprise. Conversely, in 2016 Easter was mid March and the harvest was early March. In 2018 Easter was end March/early April and harvest was completed between March 11 and 20th. In all three vintages, the grapes ripened 110 to 115 days from fruit set.
In 2017 we determined that the vintage was going to push later into the season and we did more green harvest/fruit thinning than normal in order not to push the ripening of the crop into mid April when we perceived the season might be fracturing. The potential crop was, for us, large and the gut feeling was that it was not a season to roll the dice on a two tonne per acre plus crop. Five days after we concluded the harvest we had 100mm of rain! Most certainly, if we had left the crop as it was we would have suffered flavour and sugar dilution and the way the autumn then progressed we would never have got the fruit to where it needed to be for maximum quality. Conversely, in 2018 the crop was just over two tonnes per acre on average and we read the season to be long and warm and the vine health to be exceptional and pleasingly that is how it played out. In 2018 we had 76mm of rain at the beginning of veraison, a perfect moment for rainfall, and the vines ripened their crop in perfect fashion. Whether this be intuition, experience, managed risk taking or something else, it has been very satisfying. MICHAEL DHILLON
KOSTAS RIND CHARDONNAY 2017
SHELF PRICE $65 | OFFER PRICE $55
This wine spent 11 months in barrel on yeast lees. As is normal, each barrel was filled directly from the press tray and a small amount of So2 was added. The wild yeast generally takes four days to begin to ferment the sugars and most barrels took five to six weeks to complete the fermentation. This wine is fresh and vibrant with typical aromas of white flowers, citrus and spice. It is also gently mealy and creamy despite the vitality and energy. The palate is zesty, balanced, textured, long and chalky. With air the nose becomes richer and more vibrant and the palate becomes more intense. These are good signs and we know that given twelve months in bottle, or more, increased complexity, texture and flow will develop. Recent openings of these wines from the mid 2000s to 2012 suggest five to ten years is a good time to see the wine at its best. MD
The 2017 season was a beauty. There were no days over 40 degrees and there were several significant rainfall events that alleviated stress on the vines (and us!). The fruit set in early December was extremely successful and the season was tracking a bit later than is recently usual. Easter in 2017 was mid April so the early April harvest date was no surprise. Conversely, in 2016 Easter was mid March and the harvest was early March. In 2018 Easter was end March/early April and harvest was completed between March 11 and 20th. In all three vintages, the grapes ripened 110 to 115 days from fruit set.
In 2017 we determined that the vintage was going to push later into the season and we did more green harvest/fruit thinning than normal in order not to push the ripening of the crop into mid April when we perceived the season might be fracturing. The potential crop was, for us, large and the gut feeling was that it was not a season to roll the dice on a two tonne per acre plus crop. Five days after we concluded the harvest we had 100mm of rain! Most certainly, if we had left the crop as it was we would have suffered flavour and sugar dilution and the way the autumn then progressed we would never have got the fruit to where it needed to be for maximum quality. Conversely, in 2018 the crop was just over two tonnes per acre on average and we read the season to be long and warm and the vine health to be exceptional and pleasingly that is how it played out. In 2018 we had 76mm of rain at the beginning of veraison, a perfect moment for rainfall, and the vines ripened their crop in perfect fashion. Whether this be intuition, experience, managed risk taking or something else, it has been very satisfying. MICHAEL DHILLON