Winemaking

After careful hand-harvesting, the grapes for this wine were gently whole-bunched pressed by modern membrane presses. The resulting juice was then moved without settling to a selection of both new and old French oak barriques for fermentation. Specially chosen yeasts were used to inoculate the majority of the barrels, with a small proportion left to undergo a natural or ‘wild’ fermentation with indigenous yeasts. After fermentation was complete each barrel underwent twice weekly batonage - or lees stirring - promoting yeast autolysis which adds both body and complexity to the wine. Malolactic fermentation naturally occurred once the weather warmed in the spring, with barrel batches carefully monitored during this time. Once the MLF had finished each barrel was individually assessed, with only the best barrels making it to the final blend. Once blended was completed the wine was filtered and bottled without the need for fining in mid-March.

Viticulture

The grapes for this wine are sourced from premium vineyard sites in the sun-drenched Nelson region located in the upper South Island of New Zealand. The 2013/2014 growing season in Nelson began with a warm and dry November and December, ensuring rapid early-season growth throughout the vineyard. These warm and dry conditions continued throughout the summer resulting in an earlier than usual ripening period. Rigorous vineyard management practices carried out by the vineyard team, including shoot thinning and leaf plucking, opened up the canopy and ensure that grapes were clean and free from disease at harvest time. Hand harvest for our Nelson Chardonnay started on the 1st April, with the sugar levels averaging around 23.4 brix.

Analysis

Vintage: 2014

Alcohol: 14%

pH: 3.31

T/A: 5.9 g/L

R.S: 4.3 g/L