De La Terre Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2018

Description

• Stone fruit
• Pineapple
• Fresh & crisp
• Unoaked

The recognisable pale straw colour of young Chardonnay in the glass. An intense tropical fruit spectrum dominates the aroma profile of this Chardonnay, with notes of ripe nectarine and peach with hints of pineapple and banana. Fresh, ripe and vibrant, this wine is a flavour burst of ripe Chardonnay fruit with lingering sweetness and a creamy texture. The clean, fresh stone fruit is the essence of this wine. The palate is concentrated but at the same time lively, balanced and elegant.

This is essentially a 'naked' Chardonnay, as it has never been in contact with any type of oak, nor has it undergone any malolactic fermentation. It is a Chardonnay style to enjoy when young, fresh and vibrant.

De La Terre is a small family-owned boutique winery specialising in hand-made wines from an unusual mix of grape varieties. The wines are crafted by Tony Prichard, owner and winemaker, in the small earth-brick winery he built, west of Hastings. The name ‘de la terre’, literally meaning ‘of the earth,’ is a reference to both the vineyard soils and the earth brick construction used in the winery and cellar door.

Grapes were hand harvested from De La Terre's Hill Country Estate from their main terrace. This wine was cool-fermented in a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank using a yeast specially selected to highlight the tropical fruit characteristics of Chardonnay.  Following fermentation, the wine was gently stabilised and filtered prior to bottling.