Tasting Notes for Kalleske Florentine Chenin Blanc 2023 from the Winery

NEW VINTAGE

Lifted and bright, aromatics include tropical fruits, gooseberry, passionfruit and apple together with cut grass and flint.
The palate is fresh and juicy.  Lemon citrus leads along with grapefruit and white peach.  A lovely line of minerality, almost slatey in nature, weaves through the entire palate.  Crunchy fruits continue through the lengthy and refreshing finish.  Florentine can be enjoyed now but will cellar gracefully.

Chenin Blanc

This single vineyard Chenin Blanc, sourced from mature vines on our Kalleske farm, is a vibrant fruit-driven wine. These old vines are one of the few remaining Chenin blanc vineyards in the Barossa. Grapes were harvested in the cool night and gently pressed for fermentation to provide a naturally varietal yet complex wine. It gains its name from Caroline ‘Florentine’ Kalleske, the first daughter of Johann Georg Kalleske who migrated to Australia from Prussia in 1838. Florentine is a genuine hand crafted wine that’s been grown, vintaged and matured on our Kalleske estate at Greenock in the North-Western Barossa.

Growing Season

The 2022 vintage was excellent. Winter was significantly wetter than average getting the vines off to a brilliant start leading into Spring which was cool with median rainfall. Summer was mild and dry apart from rain on the last day. Autumn remained mild with generally perfect mid-20s weather combined with cool nights ensuring steady even ripening across all varieties. The 2022 yields were good and the quality is great, a classic Barossa vintage displaying rich flavours with fine balance.  

Vineyard

Florentine is from a single vineyard of Chenin Blanc on the Kalleske property that was planted in 1988.  The vines are low yielding and soil is shallow sand with clay subsoil.

Winemaking

The grapes were harvested in the cool of the night on March 14^th.  They were then pressed and the juice was briefly settled prior to racking where it was cooly fermented in tank for fourteen days.  The wine was bottled immediately after primary fermentation whilst young and fresh to retain utmost vibrancy.

(SKU: KA_CBl_CV)