Based on the winery’s best Hawke’s Bay grapes, this is typically a seductive wine with a finely judged balance of rich, citrusy, peachy fruit flavours and toasty oak. Hand-picked in the company’s Middle Road Vineyard at Havelock North, it is fermented and matured in French oak barriques (25 per cent new in 2013). The 2013 vintage (4.5*), given a full, softening malolactic fermentation, is weighty, elegant, tightly structured and crisp, with fresh, concentrated grapefruit and peach flavours, slightly biscuity notes adding complexity, and good harmony. A powerful, savoury wine, it’s well worth cellaring.
Details
Type: White Wines
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2013
Overall Rating for All Vintages Tasted: ★★★★✰ – 4.5 Stars
Price: $39 NZD
Sweetness: DRY
Value for Money: –V
Buyer’s Guide Edition: 2015