Andeluna Altitud Chardonnay
Intense yellow colour with subtle tones olive shiny appearance. Exquisite aroma dominated by tropical fruits, citrus, coconut and nuts. A delicate and correct acidity giving a feeling of freshness. This Andeluna Altitud Chardonnay has a smooth, lingering finish. Serve at 9C. Aged in new French oak barrels for 12 months, followed by at least 8 months in bottle before release. Battonage (stirring of the lees) was carried out during the ageing process.
Briar Ridge Stockhausen Chardonnay
The Stockhausen Chardonnay was created by Briar Ridge in a style paying homage to the pioneers of the Hunter Valley around 40 years ago. It is rich and creamy with ripe peach and tropical notes.
Scarborough Yellow Label Chardonnay
Scarborough Yellow Label Chardonnay is sourced from fruit grown on the winery's rich Terra Rossa soil. This helps produce a Chardonnay that is rich and mouth filling with creamy, buttery flavours. Having being left of lees for a minimum of 12 month and going through 100% Malo fermentation, this Hunter Valley Chardonnay is one for those who love an 'old-school' Chardonnay.
Ferngrove Orchid Diamond Chardonnay
Ferngrove Wines, in Frankland River, is one of the world's most isolated wine estate. While this isolation makes the logistics of wine-making tough, it is also what makes Ferngrove wines distinctly different. This Chardonnay is aromatic, complex lemon zest, pear skin and pink grapefruit in harmony with complex toasty French oak and toasted nuts. Piercing grapefruit, lime and pear with a creamy texture and vanilla French oak with lingering mineral acidity.
A Retief Tumbarumba Chardonnay
Alex Retief is making some really exciting wines from different regions in NSW. The Chardonnay, from Tumbarumba in the pristine Snowy Mountains of NSW, was fermented and matured on leeas for 18 months in new French barriques, but the palate is still tight and austere. A delicate and subtle wine, full of white peach, flint and mineral saltiness.
Robert Stein Third Generation Chardonnay
The Third Generation series is a modern style Chardonnay, Robert Stein Winery has crafted with the exceptional fruits from Mudgee to create this great expression of the vineyard and regional characteristics in a bottle. With the aromas of grapefruit, peach and citrus, fermentation was 80% in stainless steel tank with high lees contact. The remainder time in older oak undergoing partial Malolactic Fermentation with wild yeast, which adds diversity and complexity to the finish.
Snobs Creek Estate Cordwainer Chardonnay
A Shoemaker, also known as a Cordwainer, once lived at a creek. When he passed on, the place was then named after his most important tool, Snob, the small anvil used to shape the toe end of a boot. A balanced wine, The Cordwainer is a beautifully crafted Chardonnay with bright summer fruits of melon and intense stone fruit aromas on the nose. Combine with lees contact during barrel fermentation, the acidity is well integrated with the French oak, creating a seductive delicious finish.
Greywacke Pinot Gris
An exotic Middle-Eastern mélange of poached quinces, sticky dates and tree-ripened figs, laced with vanilla bean, cardamom and hints of black licorice. This is a ripe, opulent expression of the pinot gris grape in a voluptuous off-dry style that has considerable concentration and a long, luscious finish. The three clones were hand-picked separately at high ripeness levels and whole-bunch pressed using very low maceration press cycles. The resulting juice was cold settled, then racked to fermentation vessels. Most of the juice went through a natural indigenous yeast fermentation in old French oak barriques and the balance was fermented in stainless steel tanks using cultured yeast. Towards the end of fermentation all the wine was transferred to stainless steel tanks where the fermentations were stopped, retaining 10 g/l residual sugar. The wine then spent a year on yeast lees (seven months in old barrels and the remaining time in stainless steel tanks) prior to blending and bottling. Kevin Judd is one of Marlboroughs pioneer winemakers whose career is intrinsically linked with the global profile of New Zealand wine. Kevin was born in England and grew up in Australia, where he studied winemaking at Roseworthy College and first made wine at Reynella in South Australia. He moved to New Zealand in 1983 and joined Selaks Wines. Subsequently, he became the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay, a pivotal role during which he directed the companys first 25 vintages. In 2009 he established his own label, Greywacke, named after New Zealands prolific bedrock. The Name: New Zealand does not have a designated national rock, but if one was ever chosen it would have to be greywacke (pron: grey-wacky). This drab grey stone is found everywhere in New Zealand on the mountains, in the rivers, on the beaches. It consists of layers of hard, muddy grey sandstone alternating with thinner layers of darker mudstone (argillite). Technically the term greywacke refers to the sandstone (wacke is a German name for a type of sandstone), but it is also used as a general term for the entire rock.
Meltwater Marlborough Chardonnay
A rather hedonistic nose suggests ripe pears, fresh peach and oatmeal while the palate is taught and chalky with nectarine, pear and iodine notes and a driven freshness. Unmistakably Marlborough for its cleansing hit of salty goodness, this is harmonious, balanced and dry. Established in 2011, Corofin is the new home for ex-Jackson Estate winesmith Mike Paterson and his partner Anna, until recently GM at TerraVin. At this early juncture, while Mike is contracted to another project and Anna busy raising the couples two young daughters, Corofin craft two (soon to be three) single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, each in tiny 100-150-case lots. You can read about two of these pretty special Marlborough sites below (the third being the Weavers Waihopi Slopes at Churton). Not too far down the line well see a little Chardonnay as well. For the time being the wines are made out of temporary digs at Fromm. Having spent the majority of their working years in and about Marlborough, Mike and Anna have no doubt regarding the potential of their adopted region, and were well placed to approach their first choice of vineyards. Indeed, Patersons selection of sites reflects both a winemakers enthusiasm for Marlboroughs Southern Valley hillside vineyards plus the dedication of certain grape growers whose vineyards he believes act as a beacon of Marlborough individuality. Not by accident do these growers focus on organic and/or biodynamic principles. In addition, Patersons artisanal approach in the winery does the necessary justice to each site; hand-harvesting and sorting, whole berry/cluster ferments, fermentation with indigenous yeast, no fining nor filtration and zero new wood, with the wines raised in 2-4 year old barrels. In a region where for much of the time money talks and terroir walks, Corofins 2013s show that great, singular terroir is thriving in Marlborough (a cliché that has sometimes hit troubled waters in its journey across the ditch). Paterson goes one step further in demonstrating that precocious, ripe Marlborough Pinot can be made without confected fruit, nor winemaking artefactPatersons are beautifully aromatic, detailed and sculpted Pinot Noir, which combine the best of all worlds: finesse, freshness, terroir transparency. We can already tell you hes got a similar way with Chardonnay. The wines have the aromatic prowess and elegant texture that will appeal to Burgundy fanatics, but also youthful generosity and reasonable price tag; qualities all Pinot lovers can get behind. In short, were delighted to be working with this talented and classy young project.