Astrolabe Marlborough Chardonnay 2020

Description

• French oak
• Ripe melon & stone fruit
• Ginger & vanilla
• Silken textured

"The delicious 2020 vintage (5*) is a top expression of Marlborough Chardonnay. Hand-harvested in the Awatere Valley, it was fermented and matured for nine months in French oak barriques and puncheons. Bright, light lemon/green, with a fragrant, savoury bouquet, it is mouthfilling, fresh and finely poised, with deep stonefruit flavours, complex, very harmonious, well-rounded and lingering" Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide, Jul 2022

"Complex, sophisticated, pure, ripe and very enticing bouquet. Aromas and flavours of apple and grapefruit, white peach and white apricot then apple. There’s a natural fruit spice quality, sea breeze scent and youthful impact from the intensity and use of oak. Delicious, weighty, engaging and fresh on the palate. Flavours mirror the bouquet with near full-bodied texture, some fine tannins and planty of acidity for structure and breadth. A long finish, this wine is complex as well as delicious, will cellar and age well for the next 2-3 years. Best drinking from mid to late 2023 through 2030+" Cameron Doulas, Master Sommelier, Apr 2022

"Light, fresh, seamless Chardonnay, with an initial hint of seductive sweetness leading to a delicately dry finish. Citrus, white peach, ginger and nutty yeast lees flavours bask in a little alcohol warmth. A silken-textured, fruit-focused chardonnay. Drink 2022 to 2025" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Apr 2022

Mid straw gold. Some ripe melon and dried stone fruits with vanilla and butter notes and a subtle mealiness. A wine of very elegant texture with stone fruit, vanilla creaminess, toasty oak, pleasing weight and a long, dry and mineral finish. This wine will continue to develop rewarding flavour and bottle complexity with aging.

Food Pairing: Pairs well with roast chicken, creamy sauces, miso, sesame, truffles or delicate mushrooms.