Tasting Notes for Paxton Late Harvest 2022 from the Winery

50% Pinot Gris & 50% Chardonnay. Colour: bright crisp straw. Aroma: rose petal, strawberries & watermelon. Palate: fruit driven with subtle plum, cherry & guava, zesty finish. Cellar: 5 years.

At Paxton we like to cater for the different tastes of our visitors to Cellar Door. The Late Harvest was made with the aim to have a fruity, sweet but fresh drink to enjoy, that would appeal to those who like some sweetness in their wine. The wine has a floral tropical lift and is fresh and luscious with plenty of sweetness which is balanced by crisp lively acidity.

The Late Harvest blend changes each year with the aim of improving the wine; this year it was made from Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. It is fruity, showing loads of tropical fruits including lychee, kiwi and passion fruit.

Vintage Notes

Low and slow. The 2023 growing season was a time for viticulturalists to show off their impressive skills. From a cold and wet, seemingly never-ending winter to a Spring which seemed like it was still winter, a long, cool Summer which seemed like Spring, challenges were abound. Numerous climatic challenges including cool and windy weather during flowering, one of the wettest Springs for 30 years and even more windy weather in Summer meant that crops were small but our organic and biodynamic farming methods paid off — our vines showed incredible resilience to whatever came their way. A season that was around three weeks late on average and had a much slower ripening period means that 2023 wines show great acid, complex layers of delicate flavours, lightness, brightness, and longevity.

Bouquet

Fragrant lift of peach, elderflower and almond blossom in the depths of winter. Beyond, there are zesty notes of Buddha’s hand balanced with earthier notes of lavender stem and a touch of saline minerality.

Palate

Like slicing open a perfectly ripe honeydew melon, there is a slippery mouthfeel with a confetti-like explosion akin to the peak of a sold-out Taylor Swift stadium concert. Licks of mango-hued sweetness are balanced by a pithy, grippy finish, leaving the palate rewarded and refreshed.

Vinification

Select rows of Pinot Gris and Chardonnay are harvested later than the rest, allowing the sugar content to increase and the flavours to fully develop under the Autumn sun. Fermented in stainless-steel tanks, we stop the wine fermenting to dryness, blend with some earlier harvested Pinot Gris and Chardonnay to balance the acid and bottle early to preserve freshness.

Technical Details

(SKU: PX_LH_CV)