Wairau River Marlborough Chardonnay 2021

Wairau River Marlborough Chardonnay 2021French oak Peaches & cream Vanilla & hazelnut Satin texture "It's splendidly fruited and inviting on the nose showing apricot, fig, vanilla and roasted hazelnut aromas, leading to a flavoursome palate that's filled with bright fruit flavours combined with elegant oak nuances. Beautifully composed and delightfully drinkable. At its best: now to 2025" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2022 "Ripe, fruity and varietal with a soft cream textured bouquet, aromas of

• French oak
• Peaches & cream
• Vanilla & hazelnut
• Satin texture

"It's splendidly fruited and inviting on the nose showing apricot, fig, vanilla and roasted hazelnut aromas, leading to a flavoursome palate that's filled with bright fruit flavours combined with elegant oak nuances. Beautifully composed and delightfully drinkable. At its best: now to 2025" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2022

"Ripe, fruity and varietal with a soft cream textured bouquet, aromas of peaches and cream, red apple and vanilla spice. These attributes seamlessly transition through to the palate with a near full-bodied satin cream texture, flavours of apple and peach, apricot and vanilla. Balanced and well made with a generous mouthfeel and acid line for contrast. Best drinking from 2022 through 2028" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Apr 2022

Pure fruit aromas of nectarine and citrus, complemented by delicate floral and savoury notes. Generous on the palate with a delicious dollop of peaches and cream and finely integrated French oak.

Grapes were carefully hand harvested in the early hours of the morning. After gentle whole-bunch pressing the juice was fermented in a mix of new and old French oak barrels with a small portion in stainless steel. Free run was kept separate from the pressings and 80% was fermented with cultured yeast. The barrel portion of the blend went through full malolactic fermentation. After 10 months the wine was blended and left to settle before bottling on the Wairau River Estate.

Flowering commenced in the first week of December. During this period, the region experienced less than perfect flowering conditions which resulted in a lower-than-average potential yield. Balance of yield to canopy health was excellent. January, February, and March produced some of the driest months ever recorded with picking beginning in the last week of February and concluding in the last week of March culminating in one of the earliest vintages in the region and also one of the most exceptional harvests we have seen. The warm fine weather through the late summer provided exceptionally clean and healthy fruit, creating the a riper spectrum of tropical fruit flavours, this provided the winemakers with an extensive array of complimentary blending components from which to assemble some fantastic wines. The resulting wines from the 2021 vintage have wonderful fruit concentration aromatic power and defining elegance which are all hallmarks of this outstanding vintage. The elegance and poise seen from the 2021 wines will truly make this one of the most celebrated years for some time.