Coopers Creek Gisborne Chardonnay 2019

Description

• American & French
• Ripe tropical fruit
• Luscious melon
• Rich

Light straw in the glass with a little lemon. The nose is typical Gisborne Chardonnay. In the absence of strong new oak characters the varietal characters come shining through. Lush melon and grapefruit aromas dominate the bouquet. The palate is filled with an avalanche of intense, ripe tropical fruit flavours that develop with every sip. It is a delightful melange of peach, nectarine and melon backed with subtle lees and oak characters. The palate is full of fresh fruit character, yet also has richness, weight and length. Gisborne’s warm climate tends to produce Chardonnays that show well in their youth. That said, with careful, cool cellaring, this wine will gain further complexity into the medium term.

This wine is based entirely on Doug Bell’s vineyard in Back Ormond Road, Hexton, Gisborne. It is predominantly Clone 548 Chardonnay – a relatively new and high performing clone selected from the Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy. The block was machine harvested and the fruit trucked overnight to Auckland. The juice went to a mixture of seasoned French and American oak for fermentation, and stayed in those barrels on lees for about 10 months, during which time it also went through a secondary malolactic fermentation.

Food Pairing: Brilliant with fish, seafood, poultry and pork.