2008 was one of the driest harvests on record only recording 35 mms for the 6 month growing season until harvest in March. The hand-harvested fruit was delivered in perfect condition to the winery, which is situated at the foot of the Tiers Vineyard. Immediately on arrival at the winery, the Tiers Chardonnay fruit was de-stemmed, crushed and chilled to 3Deg C on the way to the air bag press. Cold juice was gravitated away from the skins through the press and only light pressings were added back. A small amount of SO2 was added to the juice on the way to the tank where the juice was allowed to settle for 4 days. SO2 was the only addition to the juice prior to fermentation.The clear juice was racked to new (50%) and 1 use (50%) oak barriques from the French forest of Vosges. A selected yeast strain, native to the vineyard, was added to initiate fermentation and the bacteria for the malo-lactic fermentation was added at the same time. The primary fermentation was complete in 6 weeks after