Brancott Estate Letter Series 'O' Marlborough Chardonnay 2017

Description

This is a highly textured wine with flinty characters which marries beautifully with strong stone fruit and citrus notes, toasty and mealy complexity. Scattered throughout are notes of nutmeg and clove with floral highlights of jasmine. The luxurious palate is rich, soft and full of peaches, cream and toasted hazelnuts all combining to give a full textural finish.

The 2017 season began with above average October and November rainfall. Above average temperatures started off the growing season but only lasted until December and were around average from then on. February delivered nearly 140% of the average monthly rainfall, and April delivered 252% of the monthly average rainfall. The crop levels were in line with long term average, but prompt and early decisions were the order of the day over harvest to minimize the effects of the rainfall events generated by ex-tropical cyclones Debbie and Cook. With its concentrated fruit and balanced acidity, this wine has the potential to cellar for five to ten years with careful storage.

The fruit was sourced from premium vineyards in Marlborough’s Wairau valley. The southern side of the Wairau, where Brancott Vineyard and Renwick vineyards are situated, is characterized by older, more structural soils with higher clay content. Formed from glacial outwash and windblown loess, they are still free-draining, but have a much higher nutrient content than those on the northern side of the valley. Wines from this soil type typically exhibit greater flesh and texture compared with wines from the northern valley gravelly soil types. The fruit predominately used in this blend is Mendoza clone on Schwarzmann rootstock planted in 1992. The pruning regime on these select vines is Slyvos. The balance of the blend is Clone 95 and Clone 6 on low vigor rootstocks that were planted in 1996 and 1995. The pruning regime is VSP with two canes laid down.

Only the best blocks of grapes were selected for this wine. The block was carefully hand harvested then whole cluster pressed. The ferments underwent full wild fermentation adding a wonderful textural dimension to the wine. All components underwent a full malolactic fermentation to soften acidity and add a textural creaminess to the wine. Each parcel was lees stirred regularly to integrate oak characters and enhance the mealy, nutty qualities evident on the nose. Only the best barrels were selected for this wine.

Food Pairing: This wine would be accompanied perfectly with a wide range of savoury foods such as parmesan either on a cheese and charcuterie board or garnishing dishes. This wine would match beautifully with grilled pork medallions and roasted nectarines.