Čuvar Guardian Rivermere Vineyard Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2021

Description

Apple, Oak, Pastry

"There’s a definitive complexity within the bouquet of this wine, aromas of place then fruit, careful selection of barrels and skilled winemaking. As the wine opens out in glass a touch of gun-flint delivers a youthful quality then scents of stone fruits, nut and citrus fruits. Full-boded, warm and generous as the wine touches the palate, textures and flavours of white and yellow fruits, oak and wood spices, gun-flint, brazil-nut, and complexity. A delicious wine ticking the boxes of texture and flavour, a backbone of acidity with a lengthy complex finish. Best drinking from mid to late 2024 through 2030" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jan 2024

With the first sip, this wine displays an array of stone fruits and baked apples with cinnamon and allspice. These flavours are wrapped around a noble pillar of fruit acid that supports this wine right through to the finish and leaves you wanting more. The natural ferment component contributes to the suppleness of the palate adding complexity as well as enhancing the unwavering finish. An embodiment of what a fabulous Hawke’s Bay vintage can do. Clone 15.

Rivermere (formerly Lyon’s) (100%) Nestled against the Ngaruroro River on the Gimblett Gravels, the oldest planting dates back 30 odd years. Legend has it the wide-spaced rows in the old block of Chardonnay were planted to ensure the then owner could drive his tractor home from the local pub! These wide rows mean the yields here are very low per ha. The canopy is open and disease pressure is minimal. As winemakers we covet this vineyard.

The 2021 Hawke’s Bay vintage experienced remarkable warm, dry conditions, and stability, enabling the early harvest of the majority of the fruit in the region. This yielded fruit rich with ripe flavours and in impeccable condition.