Hãhã Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2023

Description

Apricot, Cream, Oak

"It's elegantly fragrant on the nose with apricot, rockmelon, vanilla and roasted cashew notes, leading to a delightfully rounded palate offering creamy mouthfeel backed by juicy acidity, finishing smooth and lingering. At its best: now to 2027" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2024

Pale straw. Enticing fruit aromas of ripe golden peach, apricot and grapefruit, supported by toasty oak. The palate is broad and soft, with delicious flavours of peaches and honeydew melon, accen-tuated by the extra creaminess and texture from the lees aging.

The fruit for our 2023 Chardonnay was sourced from vineyards located on the silty river banks of Hawke’s Bay.

Vintage 2023 was a very challenging growing season; cool conditions through Summer coupled with a destructive tropical cyclone meant it was a year for viticultural prowess and winemaking finesse. The weather improved in March to provide healthy ripe fruit allowing our talented winemaker to produce fabulous wines that rival the last two years vintages with well balanced flavour and acidity.

The parcels of fruit were harvested and gently pressed on arrival to the winery. The juice was cold settled before being inoculated with selected yeasts to undergo controlled fermentation in a mix of tanks and barrels. The wine went through malolactic fermentation and was aged on full lees prior to blending, stabilisation, filtering and bottling.

Food Pairing: Superb on its own or lightly chilled with a full-flavoured creamy lemon chicken dish.