Chardonnay 2023 6x75cl

This is a medium-bodied and elegant style of Hawkes Bay Chardonnay. The palate is soft and textured with flavours of peach, intermingled with hints of butter, grilled nuts and subtle oak spice.

Vineyards

The fruit profile of these vineyards gives a blend of ripe stonefruit and zesty citrus characters as well as bright acidity and flinty complexity. Meticulous vineyard management is carried out in the pursuit of quality.

Vintage

Cooler conditions and unprecedented rainfall through the growing season, along with the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle have been particularly challenging and required vigilant vineyard management. For both Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, whilst the season has not delivered to the high-quality standards required for our top tier wines, and these won’t be made; there are plenty of clean, fruit driven components to compile our main blends. It will be a vintage of elegance rather than power, where great vineyard sites, along with a highly experienced winegrowing team have delivered an amazing result given the challenges of the season.

Winemaking

The individual vineyard parcels were harvested in good condition in ealry March and fermented in a mix of tank and seasoned French oak barriques (50%). A small portion was encourage to go through malolactic fermentation to soften the wine and add richness and complexity. After fermentation the wines were left on their yeast lees with regular stirring until blending and bottling after 12 months of ageing.

Enjoy with:

Ideally suited to rich seafood dishes, especially crayfish and scallops or white meat dishes.