Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Chardonnay 2018

Description

The 2018 Cellar Selection Marlborough Chardonnay has subtle aromas of butterscotch, roasted almonds and fresh peaches. On the palate, fresh citrus flavours such as grapefruit and lemon are balanced with savoury baking spices and a hint of toasty oak on the finish.

The climate in Marlborough has high sunshine hours but temperatures during the growing season are regulated by the cooling ocean influence. The 2018 growing season started with an excellent spring and a strong flowering period which was followed by a long spell of hot weather with regular rainfall events through the summer months. With ample soil moisture, the harvest started earlier than the previous two vintages, luckily the cooler autumn weather helped retain natural acidities as the season progressed.

The 2018 blend is a combination of Wairau Valley and Awatere Valley vineyards, on a mixture of clay, silt and stony soils. The fruit was harvested in a very compact timeframe of 6 days in mid-March. The majority of the blend was fermented and matured in oak barriques and oak puncheons using a mixture of wild and cultured yeasts.