Trofeo Estate Amphora Chardonnay 2019 – Aged in Terracotta
Yes you read that right! This Chardonnay has been aged in terracotta clay aka Amphora-Aged Wine. This wine-making technique has been around for thousands of years (in fact I read something in Wine Enthusiast Magazine that said about 6,000 years ago there’s evidence of this technique being used in Georgia).
Terracotta is seen as a middle ground between oak and stainless steel. It’s porous like oak, yet it doesn’t impart as much flavour on a wine like oak can do. Yet it allows the wine to develop more than stainless steel which allows absolutely no oxygen into the maturing wine.
Trofeo Estate kindly sent me this sample (thank you very much!) of their 2019 Amphora Chardonnay to try recently. Trofeo are a small, family owned estate in Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. They’re located in Dromana which is about an hour south of Melbourne.
Trofeo are considered the largest producer of terracotta amphora wine in the southern hemisphere. So if you’re keen to try some wine aged in terracotta clay then you must check these guys out!
Wine Specs
Vintage: 2019
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
Alcohol: 13.2%
Price: $34 via trofeoestate.com.au
Other: Aged in terracotta
What is tastes like to me
It’s a pretty pale yellow with a slight hint of copper to it in the glass. On the nose it’s full of juicy stonefruit, struck match, pawpaw and it has a lick of grapefruit to it. Quite a complex nose which I kept going back for more with. In the mouth it’s deliciously smooth with a juicy citrus tinge to the finish. Fruit driven and interesting. I’d drink it again!
Disclosure
This wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it. All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy!