2013 Whitehaven Chardonnay
Accolades
Gold Medal - Royal Easter Show 2015
4 STARS - Cuisine Magazine
Silver Medal - Marlborough Wine Show 2014
Pure Silver - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2014
Tasting Note
Colour / Appearance:Deep straw, with a bright clarity. Aroma / Bouquet:Peach and nectarine stone fruit flavours with notes of hazelnut, butterscotch and oak char. Palate:A full bodied wine with a soft, seamless texture and finely balanced acidity to aid freshness. The primary fruit is supported by subtle notes from the oak and secondary malo-lactic fermentation. The wine has a long, clean finish. Cellaring:Best enjoyed in the first 3 or 4 years following vintage, but the wine has the structure and closure to allow continued development with careful cellaring. Food Match:A perfect match for Mediterranean food, pork or chicken pies and creamy mushroom pastas. Serve:Lightly chilled.
Wine Analysis
Alcohol:14.0%Residual Sugar:<2 g/L Titratable Acidity:6.0 g/L pH:3.30
Viticulture
Harvest Date:3rd – 9th April 2013 Climate:The season started with a relatively cool and wet spring. This was followed by a warm, dry summer with little rainfall. The dry conditions continued to the end of the season, delivering fruit that could be picked at optimum ripeness and in clean condition. Vine Management:Vines are trained with two canes on a vertical trellis. Balanced pruning, shoot thinning, tucking and trimming are done to achieve an open, healthy canopy.
Vinification
Winemaking:The fruit was hand-picked and whole cluster pressed. The heavy pressings were kept separate to minimise phenolics. The juice was lightly settled prior to inoculation for fermentation. Halfway through fermentation the juice was transferred to French oak barrels of which 26% were new. Malo-lactic fermentation was carried out on all of the barrels and the lees stirred regularly during the 11 months maturation to aid texture and richness on the palate. Winemaker:Sam Smail and Diana Katardzhieva