Lawson's Dry Hills Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2020

Description

• Red apple
• Stonefruit
• Toasty notes
• Smooth texture

"An intriguing bouquet with aromas of stony soils and spice then apple, peach and a mild French oak toasty barrel layer. Soft creamy texture leads to flavours of white stone fruits and grapefruit, some baking spices, and fresh fig. Medium+ weight and acidity. Harmonious and dry. Ready to enjoy from today and through 2024+" Cameron Douglas, Oct 2020

This wine shows lovely lemon and red apple notes with a hint of stonefruit and a subtle toasty character from the time on yeast lees. The palate is fresh yet smooth and elegant with a lovely acid balance. The stonefruit and beeswax characters will become more evident with a little bottle age.

This style of Chardonnay is all about showcasing the wonderful fruit as there is no detectable oak influence. 2020 was a great vintage with warm, dry weather. Their Mendoza clone Chardonnay set well producing a small but beautiful crop that ripened slowly and evenly. It was picked in perfect condition with lovely flavours.

The majority of this wine was fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks with a small percentage (just 8%) fermented in old barriques. These assist with a little more complexity and texture, but none of the usual oak aromas and flavours. The wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation, turning the sharper malic acid into the softer lactic acid.

Food Pairing: Easy to enjoy on its own, or to accompany seafood, creamy risottos and pasta dishes, fresh salmon, soft white cheeses and chicken.