Tohu Wairau Valley Marlborough Unoaked Chardonnay 2016

Description

• Unoaked
• Fresh tropicals
• Bright citrus
• Butterscotch

Untouched by oak, this richly textured Marlborough Chardonnay displays aromas of ripe nectarine, melon and bright citrus underpinned by complex nutty butterscotch gained from both extended time on lees and malolactic fermentation. On the palate fresh flavours of peach and tropical fruit are balanced with subtle creaminess and great length; leading to a smooth, fresh and focused finish.

The grapes for this wine were sourced solely from the Rothay vineyard located in the Marlborough’s Rapaura sub-region of the Wairau Valley - renowned for warm
daytime temperatures and stony free-draining soils. This ideal combination allows grapes to ripen with the full spectrum of primary fruit flavours - while the typical cooler night temperatures help to retain balanced acidity. Trained using a split canopy trellising system, the vines were managed throughout the growing season with practices including shoot thinning, trimming and leaf plucking, allowing for an open canopy and reduced disease pressure.

Machine harvested and fully fermented and aged in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, this wine has been created to allow the fresh complexities of the fruit to shine through without the need for any oak influence. After harvesting the grapes for this wine were transported a short distance to the winery before being gently pressed. Cold settled over 48 hours, the resulting clear juice was racked into tanks for inoculation with yeast carefully selected to retain fruit purity. After fermentation at reasonably coolish temperatures, the wine then underwent secondary malo-lactic fermentation before being aged in tank. Lees stirring was employed to build texture and complexity while still retaining fruit freshness, before being filtered and bottled in mid-January without the need for any fining.