Ata Rangi Craighall Martinborough Chardonnay 2017

Description

• Lightly oaked
• White pear
• Jasmine
• Almond & cashews

2017 was a cool vintage, perfect for Chardonnay. The aromatics are very clean and precise: fresh ripe white pear, florals of jasmine blended with savoury aromas of almond and cashew nuts, opening out in the glass like apple in puff pastry. The palate is incredibly elegant with bright fine acidy that pulls you right to the end of the palate. We love the unforced feel of this wine, no overt oak or fermentation characters; a great representation of the Martinborough Terrace terrior.

The wine is produced predominantly from very low yielding Mendoza clone vines planted onthe neighbouring Craighall Vineyard over 20 years ago. Indigenous yeasts were employed to ferment the freshly-pressed, unsettled juice. These “wild” yeasts slow both the onset and duration of fermentation, resulting in a very textural, multi-faceted wine. Flawlessly balanced with succulent minerality and a long, seamless finish.

The fruit for this premium wine was Hand-picked fruit was whole bunch pressed, with the unsettled juice fully barrel fermented in Burgundy barriques (24% new) using indigenous yeasts. Partial malolactic. Aged in barrel on lees for 12 months.