2024 Wills Domain Paladin Hill Chardonnay

COLOUR Medium straw, subtle green tingeNOSE Lifted limes with some brioche, lemon curd, and cashewsPALATE Explosive rich and concentrated palate, which whilst showing power and concentration also shows some lovely savoury and wet stone flinty notes.WINEMAKING This is great Chardonnay from what has been a very strong Chardonnay year. 57% of this wine is sourced from the Wylco vineyard, which is south of Witchcliffe; the balance of 25% is from Wills Domain Block 13, and 18% from Block 7. All blocks were hand-picked in the cool of the morning, and the whole bunch was pressed directly into barrels and fermented with natural yeasts. Following nine months on lees, the barrels were racked, fined, and filtered before being bottled. This year, we introduced 10% malo-lactic fermentation to increase the complexity and mouthfeel of the wine.FOOD PAIRING Seafood extravaganza with succulent grilled marron, exquisite crayfish shellfish, or a perfectly grilled, rich fish like buttery salmon, velvety tuna, or flaky cod, all nestled on a bed of lusciously creamy pasta.VINTAGE NOTES 2023 in Margaret River was outstanding, following a relatively wet winter; the spring was mild, with a warm, dry summer. Fruit set was even, disease pressure was low, and the abundance of marri tree blossoms kept bird damage to a very low level.