A fragrant nose of ripe stone fruit, with complexing toast and vanilla characters from French oak.
Predominantly sourced from our iconic Keltern Vineyard, barrel fermented and perfectly blended to produce a distinctive wine, this Chardonnay reveals a fragrant nose of ripe stone fruit, with complexing toast and vanilla characters from French oak. The wine is matured ‘sur lie’ (on yeast lees) adding further richness and texture prior to bottling.
A classic match with most white meats, rich seafood dishes, cheese and salads. Also highly enjoyable on its own.
The 2017 Hawkes Bay vintage featured warm and dry conditions for the majority of summer, including the driest January in over 50+ years of records. Harvest commenced in early March but would come under intense weather pressure from then on. Clones 15, cl95 and cl548 feature from the Keltern and Lyons vineyards. The fruit was gently pressed and the juice inoculated with yeast prior to being transferred to oak barriques (25% new) for fermentation. 11 months maturation with weekly battonage on full yeast lees followed prior to a further 10 months in tank prior to bottling
