Jules Taylor Marlborough Chardonnay 2024

Description

Apple, Nougat, Oak

"A lovely pure fruited bouquet with a core fresh white peach and apple, there’s a layer of grapefruit peel then vanilla and nut suggestions stemming from the use of French oak. A fine mineral complexity adds depth and style. Lovey weight and creaminess as the wine touches the palate, satin smooth with contrasting acidity and super fine tannin textures. Well made, youthful, balanced and ready to drink from day of purchase through 2029+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, May 2025

"Elegant and stylish, the wine shows white flesh peach, Gala apple, fig, nougat, and almond characters on the nose. It's finely flowing in the mouth with succulent fruit flavours and creamy texture, beautifully framed by refreshing acidity, making it delightfully appealing. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2025

Straw yellow. Bright citrus aromas of lemon and mandarin rind combine with white f loral blossom notes and crisp, cut apples, all complemented by a touch of toasted almonds and spice. The palate is ripe and juicy with elegant citrus and stone fruit flavours. Wild ferment and barrel aging have added complexity and texture, whilst retaining vivid acidity that leads to a focused, mouthwatering finish. 

A strong El Nino weather pattern dominated in 2024, causing strong westerly winds and warm, very dry conditions down NZ’s east coast. Vine growth began later than previous years and a couple of very cold nights in early October caused a touch of frost damage in the Southern Valleys. Flowering was relatively poor, and it quickly became clear that the harvest would be much smaller than 2022 or 2023. Warm weather began in mid-December and continued right through to March, causing one of the shortest ripening periods on record. However clear, cold nights retained fruit acidity during ripening. Harvest was short and sharp. Our first pick was Pinot Gris on the 8th March and the last block of Sauvignon Blanc from the Upper Awatere was picked on 31st March. All the 2024 fruit was packed with flavour and absolutely no sign of disease due to the amazing growing conditions. It was an ideal vintage!

The fruit for this wine came from the two beautiful vineyards in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys: Meadowbank Estate in the Taylor Pass and the Anderson Vineyard in the Brancott valley. The grapes were harvested carefully by hand and machine then taken to the winery for fermentation using a variety of techniques. Whole cluster pressed portions went directly into French oak barrels for a wild ferment on high solids. Other portions were tank fermented and some were cold settled and partially tank fermented and then sent to barrels mid-ferment. The yeast lees in the barrels were stirred very occasionally over a ten month period to add body and complexity, and the wine underwent full malolactic fermentation to add further complexity. After its extended nap in the barrels, the various parcels were blended, stabilised then bottled.

Food Pairing: The delicious flavours in this wine are fantastic to pair with food. It’s perfect with a simple barbequed chicken or with fresh seafood flavours such as crayfish tails and garlic butter. Alternatively it would be sensational with corn fritters stacked with a rocket (arugula) salad and a smoky salsa.