The olive grove Chardonnay 2022  McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Chardonnay (100%)  The Name  Since European settlement in the 1840’s,  olive trees have thrived in McLaren Vale.  They are alongside roads, in gardens and  occasionally, in the middle of our  Chardonnay vineyards blocking our  harvester!  The Vintage  It has been a good winter, the early Spring  rains set the vines up very well. November  was about 3 degrees colder than average and  so the set was variable, especially Mourvèdre  which suffered the worst. Luckily, many  varieties still had quite a large potential  crop, so yields ended about 15% down from  2021 (which was a big crop year). December  was bone dry, but January saw 33mm  compared to 20mm average. This too set  the vines up very well. There was almost no  rain and very mild conditions in February,  March and April, free of hot or cold spells  which resulted in very good leaf retention  and ripening. All varieties resulted in  outstanding wines. At this stage, It is early  to call the vintage but I believe the reds from  this vintage are the best I have seen in years.  They show great colour fruit, fruit fragrance,  richness, acidity, tannins and style. The Red  skins were very thick and crunchy and no  shrivel was seen, resulting in high tannin  content, causing us to pull juice off the skins  sweeter than usual, to achieve the desired  results.  Harvest dates  Residual sugar  16 Feb - 12 Apr  3.2 g/l  The Winemaking  Small batches of grapes are gently crushed,  chilled, and then basket pressed. To add  complexity and mouthfeel the wine is  fermented and matured in French oak for  seven months.  The Characteristics  The most classic d’Arenberg Chardonnay  never disappoints . Complex and powerful  with layers of stone fruits, white peach,  apricot, freshness of melon, oak spices and  creamy cashew run through the bouquet and  palate alike. Velvety texture and balanced  acidity are complemented by the generous  and precise finish.