Joshua Cooper Cope-Williams Romsey Vineyard Chardonnay 2019

‘This is insanely delicious’ – 96 Mike Bennie, Winefront.

Situated on a flat just across the gully from Doug’s Vineyard, Cope-Williams was planted in 1982 (its original incarnation was 1977) at 490m altitude on deep, free draining red basalt loam. Unirrigated since 1988, this site delivers fruit with powerful intensity and incredibly fine balance. Again, due to the cool, windy nature of the site, the fruit typically ripens at a low sugar level, with small berries, thick skins and with a high proportion of millerandange and hen and chicken

Once hand harvested in the cool of morning, with careful sorting in the vineyard, the grapes are partially foot crushed then very gently, slowly pressed over five or so hours.The juice was then settled for 24 hours then racked with all but the very coarse solids to three seasoned Burgundian piece, and one new 300l Stockinger Hogs Head. The wine sees one year in oak on full lees, no stirring, and no racking, then transferred to stainless steel with all the fine lees for a further 6 months elevage. Before racking and bottling, un-fined and unfiltered, a small dose of sulphur the only addition

“This is insanely delicious. It wins the millionth customer award where streamers and confetti fall from the ceiling. It’s the texture of Persian fairy floss, ok, that’s obscure, but it feels glassy, crisp, lacy at once, and delivers this high tensile crunch like the rim of a Zalto glass bitten off in your teeth. The flavours are saline, nutty, some green apple, a touch of natural yoghurt, but savouriness is the forte and acidity is the trump card. Boil this prose down and you have something so brilliantly drinkable, unique feeling and beautifully poised between its elements, while remaining expressive and kinda wild. Jeepers, onto something here.” – 96 Mike Bennie, Winefront.