Cloudy Bay Pelorus Marlborough Brut NV

Description

• Dry style
• Apple & lemon
• Toasty & creamy
• Lingering finish

The pale straw colour and aromas of ripe citrus fruits indicate its chardonnay origins. A layered bouquet of apple and lemon citrus complements fresh bready notes derived from two years bottle ageing on lees. The deliciously crisp palate displays toasty, creamy complexity, enhanced by a lingering nutty finish.

Chardonnay and pinot noir grapes are sourced from a combination of our grower and estate vineyards located within the Wairau Valley in Marlborough. Soils vary from stony free draining gravels to fine silt loams containing some clay. Vineyards are planted at a density of 1850 vines/ha and in an average year yield 9 tonnes/ha. The vines are trained to a standard vertical shoot positioned canopy.

Several different clones of chardonnay and pinot noir are used in the vinification of Pelorus. All grapes are pressed without crushing. Our juice is given a short period of settling before racking and inoculation with a pure strain of Montrachet yeast. The base wines are fermented and aged in a mixture of stainless steel tanks, large oak vats and small French oak barrels. Following a spontaneous malolactic fermentation the wines are left to age on lees for a further eight months prior to blending each November. The chardonnay predominant blend is put on tirage using prise de mousse yeast the following February and subsequently allowed to attain a minimum of two years lees ageing in the bottle before disgorgement. Analysis at time of bottling shows an alcohol of 12.5% and residual sugar of 7 g/L.

Food Pairing: Our non vintage Pelorus was designed as an aperitif but the palate offers significant depth making it a delightful partner to many dishes. At the winery, our favourite pairing is with freshly shucked oysters & a squeeze of lemon. Tio Point oysters are a local delicacy and their distinctive saltiness sits particularly well with Pelorus. Also consider smoked salmon, seared scallops, wild greens with citrus vinaigrette and honey & citrus glazed chicken skewers.