Church Road Chardonnay

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Church Road

Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2005

This elegant, yet powerful barrique-fermented Chardonnay is true to the Church Road style.

Crafted using traditional winemaking techniques this premium wine marries ripe, distinctive fruit characteristics with subtle toasty oak and savoury complexity.

Winemaker's Notes

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Release date: November 2005
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: 100% Hawke's Bay

Description

This wine is a dry, barrique-fermented style of Chardonnay.

Colour: Light straw.

Aromas: Layers of ripe creamy peach and fragrant citrus blossom are enhanced by a refined seam of toasty, nutty French oak and subtle mealy, savoury complexity derived from yeast lees stirring and a portion of malolactic fermentation.

Palate: Delicate handling of the ripe and concentrated fruit has produced a palate which exhibits both elegance and power, with a lingering finish. The weight of the fruit and oak is balanced by a restrained seam of natural acidity.

Cellaring

Careful cellaring for up to four years will be rewarded with increased complexity and integration, or drink earlier for to enjoy a more vibrant, fruit-driven wine.

Harvest

The fruit for this wine was sourced predominantly from the Fernhill district in Hawke's Bay. Chardonnay from this area is typically full-bodied with ripe, expressive fruit flavours. Low crops combined with careful vineyard management maximised fruit ripeness and intensity. The wine was produced from the three highest quality clones of Chardonnay available (Clone 15 45%, Mendoza 33%, and Clone 95).

The 2005 vintage was a classic for Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay, producing ripe and concentrated wines with excellent balance of acid and alcohol.

Brix at harvest: Average 22-23.5º

Winemaking

Winemaker: Chris Scott

Following overnight settling, the free-run juice was racked to barrels and fermented under controlled conditions in French barriques. A number of different yeasts were used to ferment the base wines, resulting in a complex range of yeast characters. 28% malolactic fermentation was used this year to assist with acid balance and provide textural benefits and extra complexity.

The wine was held on full yeast lees for the six months it spent in French oak (40% of the barrels were new).  Regular battonage (lees stirring) was used to protect the wine, round out the mouth-feel and add further savoury complexity.

Analysis

Alcohol: 13.5% by volume
pH: 3.35
Total acidity: 6.5g/L as tartaric

Vintages

1990-99, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005*

* currently available vintage(s)

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