Blocks of Chardonnay which can offer the quality of fruit essential for Jacobs Creek Reserve are regularly visited by winemakers to determine optimum harvest throughout the cool of night and early morning. Parcels are pressed and skin contact is kept to a minimum. Juices are cold settled and clarified into a selection of seasoned and new French oak barrels, inoculated to a mixture of wild and cultured yeasts. Batches complete their ferments and a course of malolactic, followed by a regimen of lees stirring battonage, which infuses the palate with luxurious vanilla biscuit characters and contributes creamy textural richness to the finished wine.