KEW 2006 Reserve Chardonnay

NZD $28.00

Description:

Rich aromas of pineapple and cream with hints of hazelnut show on the nose of this wine. These characters are also reflected on the palate, which is velvety smooth and extremely enticing. A wonderfully rich, integrated wine, showing excellent balance of fruit and elegant oak.

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, 2 April 2006:

Brix: 22
pH: 3.36
TA: 7.725 g/L

Winemaking:

The very best fruit from the KEW Chardonnay vineyard has been hand harvested and fermented in mature French and American oak barriques. Complexity, palate texture and fruit expression has been achieved with yeast selection, wild fermentation and partial malolactic fermentation. Extended barrel maturation has given this wine excellent balance of subtle oak and concentrated fruit flavours.

No fining agents were required to enhance this wine.

Analyses at bottling:

pH: 3.69
TA: 5.62g/L
Alc: 13.5%
RS: 1 g/L