Ward Valley Estate Coastal Block Marlborough Chardonnay 2023

Description

Oak, Peach, Spice

"Aromas and flavours of peach and red apple, vanilla and smoky barrel spice, a sea air quality and grounded earthy qualities. Crisp and dry on the palate with tannins and acidity leading to flavours that reflect the bouquet, medium+ acid line and weighty mouthfeel. Well made with a custard cream quality, freshness and varietal power. Best from 2024 through 2029" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

"A single block expression, with distinctive minerality, beautifully ripe fruit dances on a lightly creamy mouthfeel melded with barrel aged complexity and lends a long finish. Elegantly expressed aromas of peach, grapefruit, apple, custard, vanilla, flint and pebbles" Candice Chow, Wine Chat

Fresh citrus and mineral flavour, a typical cool climate chardonnay that has light-bodied freshness with a delicate oak roundness. Sourced from our vineyard in the sub region of Ward Valley, southern Marlborough, blessed with deep clay loam soils and traces of limestone.

Ward Valley is situated at the southern frontier of Marlborough, making it a special place within a special place. Our Chardonnay vines grow on a sheltered terrace at the coastal end, with a unique microclimate and soil structure. Influenced by a fault line, a river, and the power of the nearby Pacific Ocean, our land is stony, dry, windy and cool, elements that create wines of elegance, minerality with a lively and lingering finish. We let the untameable terroir of the Awatere Valley express itself through our vines, grapes and ultimately wines. The founders of Ward Valley, James Leary and Freddy Davison have worked tirelessly with their winemaker, to create a range of wines that truly embody the earth that it is made from and the hands that it is made by.

Sourced from our vineyard in the sub region of Ward Valley, southern Marlborough, the vines dig their roots deep through rocky soils to survive, and produce wines of elegance.. After an excellent growing season the parcel of grapes for this wine were selected from the Ward Valley Estate Coastal Block.

Hand harvested on the cool night of 29th March 2022, the grapes were taken to Spring Creek and bunch pressed to tank then lightly racked to French barriques for fermentation. Once primary fermentation was complete a partial malolactic fermentation was allowed. The wine was then matured on lees in the barrels for 10 months before being transferred out and prepared for bottling.

Food Pairing: Enjoy it on its own or with strong cheese and chicken dishes.