• Toasty oak
• Stonefruit & citrus
• Tropical fruit
• Creamy & rich

A complex wine with a richly textured palate featuring fresh stonefruit, tropical fruit and citrus notes supported by a creamy toasty oak character that balances and complements the fruit. Though made to drink now, this wine may be cellared for up to three years to develop further complexity.

This Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay vineyards are scattered across the region and each appellation has its own unique character. Around two thirds of this comes from sites within close proximity of the coast, predominantly focused around the lower reaches of the Tuki Tuki River. This area is affected by cooling afternoon sea breezes, while the soils are predominantly alluvial clay loam over river gravels with a calcareous influence due to the limestone hills further upstream. The combination of cooler daytime temperatures and limestone influence brings a degree of minerality to wines grown in this area, while the fruit spectrum tends towards citrus and nectarine. Further fruit comes from slightly elevated, inland sites in the Tutaikuri and Ngaruroro River valleys. Here there is less influence from the sea breeze and more diurnal variation. Days are warmer and nights are cooler and the soils are lighter with less influence of limestone, and more influence of iron rich volcanic ash. The wines from these inland sights are less mineral driven but vibrantly flavoured tending toward more tropical fruit flavours.

New Zealand had ideal growing conditions leading into harvest with average crops and clean, intensively flavourful fruit with early budburst across all the wine regions. A slightly wetter December ensured healthy vines leading into the growing season and adrier than normal January and February created perfect conditions for veraison and grape ripening through to the start of harvest. Cooler nights in late February and March also helped lock in the natural acidity and freshness to the fruit.

Food Pairing: A perfect pairing for Roast Chicken, Seared Scallops and Risotto.