Reflecting on Ten Years of 'The Vivienne'

On the release of our tenth vintage of ‘The Vivienne’ Denmark Chardonnay, we sat down with Singlefile co-founder and vigneron — and namesake of this special wine — Vivienne Snowden, and asked her to reflect on a decade of ‘The Vivienne’ Chardonnay.

How did ‘The Vivienne’ come to be? 

2024 marks the thirteenth year we have made ‘The Vivienne’ Chardonnay, and the launch of the 2021 vintage, which is our tenth release. Long before I knew what it was to be named, the wine was initially inspired by the character and quality of Singlefile’s chardonnay fruit, and my love of the elegant Chablis style of chardonnay. 

Our family winery has the younger generation — Patrick and Pam — at the helm, and it was their decision to name ‘The Vivienne’ after me. At first it made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but fairly quickly I accepted the idea, and came to embrace it as, after all, it is my pleasure to manage our family vineyard where the fruit for the wine is grown.

What characterises 'The Vivienne'? Can you describe what you love about the wine?

The Singlefile vineyard is located in Denmark, about five hours south of Perth in the cool climate wine region of the Great Southern. The terroir of the vineyard is perfect for chardonnay and pinot noir, and the secret of ‘The Vivienne’ Chardonnay is actually as much about acidity as it is about ripeness of the fruit. Denmark’s cool climate encourages grapes with a high level of natural acidity, which is the underlying structure of the wine.

The chardonnay is hand harvested over three separate picks decided upon by our winemaker, selecting the fruit from specific rows within the vineyard deemed best for this premium wine style. These sequential picks allow the winemaker to capitalise on the acidity in early picks, plus the intensity of riper fruit in later picks.

What I love about ‘The Vivienne’ is the elegance of restrained oak, its acidity and complexity in youth, and the velvety smoothness as it ages, while still maintaining lively freshness.

How do you achieve a consistent style each vintage?

Every year we have learned more about the characteristics of the vineyard and how it responds to the variation in seasons. Each growing season is unique and sets the scene for the management of the vineyard to maintain the fruit’s character, and the consistency of style and quality of the finished wine. Then, once the fruit comes off the vine, it is up to our winemaker to work his magic.

The wine is whole bunch pressed to (70% new) French oak barrels to undergo wild fermentation on solids, with lees stirring to develop texture and richness. Our winemaker then uses his judgement for each barrel, with selected barrels undergoing partial malolactic fermentation. The resulting wine is an elegant style which is lively and complex with a rich mouthfeel.

Can you describe what it feels like to have reached ten vintages?

For the family, and for me personally, it is an incredibly rewarding and really exciting milestone. When I reflect on the wine over the past decade, I can truly say that I have loved every vintage of ‘The Vivienne’ — and they have all proved to be outstanding wines. I look back at our 2015 vintage being named Australia's Best Chardonnay by James Halliday in 2019 after only three vintages, and now, our tenth release being recognised as the top scoring chardonnay in two prestigious international wine competitions — the 2024 London Wine Competition and 2024 International Wine & Spirits Competition.

I am very happy to share this wine with you and allow ‘The Vivienne’ to continue its journey in your glass, and on your table.