Rapaura Springs Bouldevines Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2023

Description

Nougat, Oak, Peach

"Elegant and complex, the bouquet shows lemon pith, nectarine, oatmeal, cashew and nougat notes with a hint of gun smoke overtone. The palate delivers excellent concentration and fine flow, wonderfully structured by bright acidity. Harmonious and restrained with a prolonged, structured finish. At its best: 2025 to 2031" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2024

"Bright, even, pale yellow. This has an elegant bouquet with aromas of citrus, peach, gunflint, vanilla custard and delicate spice. Medium-full bodied, aromas of grapefruit, lemon curd and peach underlined by flint, custard, vanilla and toasted barrel spices. The fruit has ripeness and presence, marrying the barrel fermentation complexity and displaying integrated layers. Enlivening acidity carries excellent length and balance. This Chardonnay shows power yet is elegant and approachable and features lush fruit and toasty details" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Sep 2024

"Aromas and flavours of peach and apple custard, vanilla spice and sweet oak. A full-bodied satin textured wine touches the palate with contrasting acidity, fine wood tannins with a touch of lees battonage-like nuttiness. Fruit flavours mirror the bouquet with a rich texture and lengthy finish this wine will please many a Chardonnay fan. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2029" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Sep 2024

Complex and enticing grapefruit, citrus and white peach characters are complemented by struck-flint, vanilla and spicy oak flavours. This wine is textural, with great balance and length. Immediately enjoyable, this wine will reward cellaring for the next five years.

The Bouldevines Vineyard is located at the entrance to the Omaka Valley, inland from the coast. This vineyard sits in the Southern Valleys, with soils that are stony, alluvial, and free draining. The inland location is cooler, allowing the Chardonnay grapes to achieve optimum ripeness and expressive fruit flavour, while retaining vibrant acidity.

The 2023 growing season started with above average bunch numbers in most districts in Marlborough. Unsettled and cooler weather over flowering resulted in loose and lighter bunches, with the net effect of producing average yields across most varieties and regions. The weather around the time of veraison was unstable, and at times threatening. We just missed out on the destruction of the cyclone that hit the east coast of the North Island. The weather then settled into a pattern reminiscent of the harvests in the early 2000s. The nights were particularly cool, and this helped to arrest any small levels of botrytis that had started in the early unsettled weather. It was a vintage where patience was rewarded and those who waited harvested fully ripe grapes with concentrated flavours and classic acidity.

The fruit for this wine was handselected and hand-picked, then taken straight to the winery and whole-bunch pressed. After pressing, the juice was transferred to barrel, including a selection of older and new oak puncheons and barriques. A total of 30% new oak was used in the final blend. The wine completed wild fermentation and full malolactic fermentation in barrel, before aging for 10 months.