Bilancia Tiratore Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2019

Description

• French oak
• Complex fruit
• Flint & stone
• Salinity hints

"Second release of a new label, which is significantly better than the inaugural release from 2018. Rich and quite complex chardonnay with grapefruit, citrus and tree fruit supported by gentle acidity. A silken-textured wine that promises to develop well" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Dec 2020

With full fruit and complexity and just a touch of flint, the palate is tight with hints of salinity and wet stone. With time it will open up to rich, nutty, hazelnut and almond flavours. This wine is ready to drink on release and will continue to develop positively for 6 – 8 years.

Single vineyard Chardonnay from vines originally planted in 2001 on the lower slopes, terraces and flat, old riverbed of la collina vineyard. The site is planted to a number of different clones of Chardonnay, predominantly B95 and UCD15 with a smaller contribution from 548, 809 and Mendoza. These clones and the rows are represented by the stylised artwork of the label. It has always been our plan to produce a flagship Chardonnay from the la collina vineyard, reflecting the variety and the vineyard site rather than the winemaking.

The fruit is 100% hand-picked, whole bunch pressed to French oak puncheons and barriques for fermentation. Indigenous yeast carried the ferment to dryness. The wine spent 11 months in oak prior to bottling; there was no fining or cold stabilisation. There were no additives other than sulphur.