Isabel Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2024

Description

Nectarine, Oak, Vanilla

This Chardonnay is a wine of elegance, complexity, depth and class. Characters of white nectarine are complemented by intriguing gun smoke and flint on the nose while concentrated layers of vanilla bean and nectarine enrich the palate. Subtle minerality and restrained acidity compliment the French oak toastiness which is sure to delight even the fussiest of Chardonnay devotees. Although enjoyable when young, this wine will continue to harmonize and evolve over the next 3 to 10 years from its vintage.

The Isabel Estate Single Vineyard range represents a distinctive expression of each season from our beloved Wairau Valley home in the Marlborough region. Sourced exclusively from our estate and with a commitment to sustainable viticulture, we craft wines of precision with unique character, complexity and elegance.

Marlborough's 2024 vintage is known for excellent quality with smaller yields. The dry, warm season contributed to superb fruit while cooler weather during flowering reduced the overall harvest. However, the dry conditions later in the season kept disease pressure low, allowing grapes to ripen fully and develop rich, concentrated flavors across all varieties.

Picking commenced with some of our younger vine fruit and was completed with the picking of our old vine Mendoza clone fruit. Each clone being picked at optimal ripeness, while also maintaining good acidity. All fruit was whole bunch pressed and settled in tank overnight before being transferred to a mixture of barrels and puncheons for 100% wild fermentation. The wine was left to age in barrel and undergo 100% malolactic fermentation. After 11 months in barrel the wine was blended in tank where it aged on lees for a further five months before being filtered and bottled.

Food Pairing: Serve with freshly shucked oysters or lobster in a rich, garlic butter sauce.