2023 Whitehaven Marlborough Chardonnay
$32.00
TASTING NOTE
Colour / Appearance: Mid straw with a bright clarity.
Aroma / Bouquet: Delicate white florals, lemon pith and ripe stone fruit aromas.
Palate: An elegant and structured style with vibrant energy. Juicy white peach, fresh citrus and oyster shell flavours abound. French oak use is subtle and well-integrated, and marries with the silken texture. the finish is smooth, bone dry, with appealing nutty and struck flint touches.
Cellaring: We recommend you enjoy our Chardonnay in the first 4-6 years after the vintage, but the wine has the structure and closure to allow continued development with careful cellaring.
Food Match: Our Chardonnay is a food-friendly wine. It pairs very well with all types of seafood. It’s also a perfect match for Mediterranean food, pork, chicken, and creamy mushroom pasta.
Serve: Lightly chilled.
WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 14.3%
Residual Sugar: 0.7 g/L
Titratable Acidity: 6.16 g/L
pH: 3.36
VITICULTURE
Harvest Date: 20th march - 4th April 2023
Vineyards: Our Chardonnay is sourced from three vineyard sites; Pauls Road, Balvonie, and The Tussocks, and comprised of three different chardonnay clones; Mendoza, Clone 95, and clone 15. Vines are trained to two or three canes on a vertical trellis with balanced pruning, shoot thinning, tucking, and trimming to achieve an open healthy canopy, and clean ripe fruit.
Whitehaven Pauls Road, Renwick 52.5%
Balvonie (previously Rothay), Wratts Road, Rapaura - 38%
Whitehaven Tussocks, Awatere Valley 9.5%
Climate: Similar to the previous season, the 2023 growing season started with soil moisture at capacity following a wet winter. Flowering conditions in November and December were not even across Marlborough with some sub-regions achieving a good fruit set and crop load, and others below average set. Vigilance around disease pressure was paramount, with regular rain events through the season and unusual humidity and warm nights through much of December and January. Day time temperatures were not warm, delaying the vine's physiological advancement. Marlborough breathed a sigh of relieve as Cyclone Gabrielle minimally impacted the region in February, while wrecking havoc through much of the North Island. The season turned a corner for Marlborough in early March with a return to cool nights and sunnier conditions allowing us to delay harvest for as long as possible.
VINIFICATION
Winemaking: Fruit was hand picked and immediately whole cluster pressed. The heavy pressings were kept separate to minimise harsh phenolics. The juice was lightly settled before being racked and inoculated for fermentation. Halfway through fermentation the wine was transferred to French oak of which 20% was new and predominantly (85%) 500L puncheons. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged in barrel on lees for 10 months to aid texture and richness on the palate.
Vegan Friendly.
Appellation Marlborough Wine accredited.
ACCOLADES
Sliced green apples, flint and stone follow through to a medium body with hints of steel and minerals. Lime undertones. Energetic acidity. Drink now. Screw cap. James Suckling, 2024, 91/100pts.
Ripe, pure, varietal, lifted and new. Aromas and flavours of grapefruit, apple and peach. There’s a fine layer of lees adding to the texture and complexity. A moderate level of oak layers in some nut and wood flavours, fine tannins and structure alongside the acidity and alcohol, all in balance. Well made in a near full-bodied style. Flavours of fruit and wood, acidity and spice are all persistent through to a moderate+ finish.Well made with best drinking from late 2024 through 2028+. Cameron Douglas MS, 91 Points, Premium
It's elegantly complex and inviting on the nose with nectarine, melon, lemon peel and nougat characters, followed by a silky-smooth palate offering supple texture combined with bright acidity, finishing long and comforting. At its best: now to 2028. Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 91/100 pts.
Bright, fresh yet mellow chardonnay with appealing purity and flavours that suggest peach, subtle nutty yeast lees and spicy oak. Crisp, dry wine that is deliciously drinkable now. Bob Campbell MW, 91/100, Silver Ribbon.
Sustainably sourced. Carefully crafted.
