L.A.S. Vino Barrels of Metricup Margaret River Chardonnay 2024

24-year-old Gin Gin clone Chardonnay from a certified organic vineyard in Metricup. Sandy loam over clay soils, 12km inland from the coast. The fruit is hand picked, chilled overnight, hand sorted, and whole-bunch pressed before a wild ferment in French barriques (44% new). No malolactic fermentation, but with regular lees stirring throughout its 11-month élevage. Bottled unfined and vegan friendly. This is Nic’s fourth vintage working with this site—a vineyard that challenges expectations. Although inland and on paper the “warmer” site, it's picked two weeks later than Wildberry Springs due to its shaded canopy and slower ripening.

Barrels of Metricup vs Wild Berry Springs
“It’s a hard one to describe because technically Wilyabrup (Wild Berry Springs), being close to the coast with gravelly loam soils, should have more acid. And Metricup, being inland with clay and sand, should have less acid and be warmer. But it’s the opposite and that comes down to vineyard management. They don’t leaf pluck here, so the fruit stays shaded and ripens more slowly.

The way I look at it: Wild Berry Springs is the ballerina finesse, elegance, beauty. Barrels of Metricup is the classic—it’s powerful, rich, unmistakably Margaret River Chardonnay. It’s got flavour, weight, and a beautiful aromatic lift.” — Nic Peterkin