KEW 2004 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay

Description:

The 2004 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay shows lovely stonefruit, floral aromas and a hint of oak on the nose, while the palate exhibits full pineapple, peach and ripe citrus flavours. The palate has fabulous weight and texture, while the finish is long and lingering. A very balanced wine offering a fantastic combination of fruit, oak and richness

Viticulture:

Clone 15 Chardonnay planted as two metre wide rows, two metres between vines, trained as two cane VSP. Predominant soil type is clay loam with pumice sub layers. Cropping levels are vine specific, decided at pruning and again at fruit set. Canopy management aims at maximising air flow, sun exposure and fruit health.

The lowest cropping, ripest fruit was hand harvested for this wine.

Analyses at harvest, 28 March 2004:

Brix: 23.4

pH: 3.47

TA: 6.9 g/L

Winemaking:

The barrel fermented Chardonnay is a complex expression of both premium fruit, and winemaking technique. The grapes were then pressed, the juice slightly clarified and put to a mixture of French and American barrels for cool fermentation. Two different yeasts were used to give both fruit expression and complexity. A small portion of the juice was fermented using indigenous yeasts for further complexity, while 40% of the barrels were put through complete malolactic fermentation for palate richness and length.

This Chardonnay was aged on yeast lees for a total of ten months, to maximize fruit expression and give balanced texture and palate weight.

Analyses at bottling:

pH: 3.57

TA: 6.7g/L

Alc: 13.5%

RS: 2 g/L

Latest Awards

3.5 Stars Cuisine Magazine NZ Chardonnay Tasting, Top 30 Chardonnays in NZ

Bronze Medal 2005 Bragato Wine Award