Mystery Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2017 (01)

Description

"Fruit-focused wine with peach, nectarine and rockmelon flavours, together with a subtle seasoning of cashew nut and spicy oak. Soft-textured wine with appealing purity. A 'crowd pleaser' offering good value at this price" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, 2018

"Wonderfully fruited and gorgeously expressive, the wine shows golden peach, rockmelon, vanilla, cedar and subtle oatmeal characters on the nose, leading to a succulent palate that is beautifully weighted and rounded. It is flavoursome and immediately appealing with plenty of delectable flavours, finishing long and creamy. At its best: now to 2020" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Nov 2018

This wine shows the vibrant fruit typical of the region. On the nose you see the typical citrus, nectarine and melon.  Throw in some creamy oak with malolactic characters, showing more integrated than previous tastings. Palate is showing nice oak with melon, nectarine, a spot of crisp acid and subtle creamy oak.

This Chardonnay is a mix of clones Mendoza and Fifteen, from the Dartmoor district in Hawkes Bay. Free draining stony gravels are the pre-dominant soil structure in this area. The crop was kept low and well exposed to ensure even ripening and optimal flavour development. This Chardonnay was cool fermented with both aromatic yeasts and Burgundy style yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation was completed, the wine was left for an extended period on yeast lees to promote textural qualities and mouthfeel. The wine exhibits stonefruit and ripe citrus flavours with a rich, mealy texture. A small portion was fermented in barrels using native yeasts to increase complexity. Ready to drink now, or cellar until 2019.