ME by Matahiwi Estate Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2018

Description

"It is beautifully fruited and inviting on the nose showing rockmelon, grilled peach, cedar, oatmeal and vanilla characters, leading to a succulent palate that is wonderfully weighted and rounded. The wine offers generosity and textural mouthfeel, well supported by bright acidity, finishing long and appealing" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 2019

A classic expression of ripe complex Hawke's Bay Chardonnay bursting with lifted aromas of lemon, melon and peach supported by butterscotch and smoky oak. The palate is concentrated and fresh with a creamy texture and smooth dry finish.

The fruit was sourced from mature vineyards in the Hawke's Bay. Planted in the Mendoza and 15 Clones on free draining red metal soils, the vineyards experience warm days and cool nights, excellent for flavour development. The superb 2018 growing season was warmer than average, and the vines responded by producing lovely golden ripe fruit.

The grapes were harvested and the turbid juice pressed to tanks and barriques for fermentation with a combination of selected and indigenous yeast. Once fermentation was completed, the wine rested for an extended period on full yeast lees with regular stirring to enhance the silky texture and subtle autolytic characters. Approximately 30% of the wine went through Malolactic fermentation in the spring to soften the acidity round the palate and enhance the butterscotch flavours. The final blend combines the rich oaky textural elements from barrel fermentation with the aromatic freshness of the tank portions into a seamless whole.

Food Pairing: Delicious on its own this Chardonnay is a superb match with a wide range of foods including barbecued salmon fillets, pan fried flounder in garlic butter, roast chicken stuffed with lemon and thyme, and camembert cheese on water crackers.