Middle Earth Nelson Chardonnay 2019

Description

• French oak
• Grapefrruit & lemon
• Nougat
• Bright acidity

"It’s elegantly expressed on the nose showing white flesh nectarine, grapefruit, lemon peel and subtle nougat characters. The palate delivers lovely rounded mouthfeel and fine texture backed by bright acidity, finishing crisp and lively. At its best: now to 2023" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

Star bright and pale straw in colour, varietal fruit characters can still be seen in the wine, whilst secondary (ferment and time in oak) characters are subtle on the nose and palate.  It may be the power of suggestion... but they sense characters of fresh almond and citrus fruits as promised by the yeast chosen for ferment.

Graped harvested from Twin Rivers in Brightwater, Nelson.

Harvested 11th March 2019. The juice settled for 24hrs and then racked to a stainless-steel ferment tank. Here it was inoculated with a Chardonnay yeast isolated in Burgundy and chosen for its ability to reveal the typicity of the grands terroirs of Chardonnay. A cool but steady ferment was managed in tank. Once nearing dryness, 80% was tranferred to barrel, the remaining volume to a small tank where it was gently lees stirred. Blended and stablised and bottled Jan 2020.

Food Pairing: An aperitif, or to suit contemporary bean or nut-based dishes. Alternatively, it would pair beautifully with seafood, cold meats and salad.