Mystery Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2023 (01)

Description

Apricot, Nougat, Oak

Black Market Mystery Wines™ are simply wines we love, with the branding hidden and revealed only when it arrives at your door!

"Beautifully composed and styled, showing apricot, rockmelon, lemon peel, nougat, and toasted almond characters. The palate delivers succulent fruit flavours with elegant oak nuances, wonderfully framed by fleshy texture and bright acidity, making it delightfully drinkable. At its best: now to 2028" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2025

Sourced from a mature vineyard in Hawke’s Bay, this is a rich, barrel fermented Chardonnay with the accent on complexity and fruit weight. Grilled stonefruit, hazelnut and citrus aromas combine with hints of toasty cedar, leading to a silky and long finish.

The fruit for this wine was sourced from a mature vineyard in the Crownthorpe sub-region of Hawke’s Bay. The vineyard is planted in two different clones of Chardonnay, Mendoza and Clone 15. This vineyard consistently produces concentrated, focused fruit at low crop levels.  This ensures even ripening and great flavour development.

The fruit for this wine was pressed and the cloudy juice was then transferred directly for fermentation into French oak barrels, with 20% new oak, using both inoculated and wild yeasts. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was left on lees in barrel for approx. 11 months to promote texture and mouthfeel.

Food Pairing: Perfect with seafood or pasta made with rich, cream-based sauces or with roasted chicken.