'Full, light golden-hued yellow colour, paler edged. The nose is softly full and voluminous with aromas of ripe yellow stonefruits and tropical fruits melded with creamy barrel-ferment and nutty oak notes, layered with integrated butterscotch elements. Medium-bodied, the plate has vibrantly rich flavours of yellow stonefruits and tropical fruits harmoniously entwined with layers of creamy barrel-ferment and nutty oak with lemon-curd and buttery MLF notes. The fruit sweetness is balanced by crisp, lacy acidity, and the wine flows with good energy along a soft-textured line, leading to a lingering finish of stonefruits, nuts and butter.  This is a rich, creamy, stonefruit and tropical fruit flavoured Chardonnay with nutty and buttery notes on a fresh palate.  Match with roast poultry and pork dishes over the next 3-4 years'. - Raymond Chan

This Chardonnay is called 'Buttery' because it is smooth, creamy and simply melts in your mouth. The beautifully integrated toasty oak results in flavours of brioche and vanilla, while still enabling the delightful ripe stone fruit characters to shine through.

The grapes were direct pressed with no skin contact to preserve freshness. The juice was then clarified, and innoculated with a specific yeast strain specially selected for Chardonnay. The winemaker combined barrel aged wine with tank fermented wine to create the perfect balance of classic oak characters and Hawke’s Bay fruit flavours. 70% of this blend was matured in French Oak barriques, 30% of which were new barrels. The remaining 30% was fermented in stainless steel tanks to retain the fresh fruit qualities well known in Hawke’s Bay wines.

The final product is a Buttery white wine, true to Chardonnay character,  with undertones of fruit qualities renowned in the region.

Food Pairing: Stunning with crayfish or pumpkin risotto.