Church Road Reserve Chardonnay

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Church Road Reserve

Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2005

This full bodied Chardonnay was crafted from hand-harvested Chardonnay grapes from an excellent Hawke’s Bay vintage. Ripe fruit combined with traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques including whole bunch pressing and wild fermentation, have produced a wine of complexity, power and elegance.

Winemaker's Notes

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Released: June 2006
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: 100% Hawke's Bay

Description

Colour: Medium straw colour.

Aromas: Subtle peach and citrus fruit are layered with an array of biscuity, nutty complexities.

Palate:Appealing stone fruit and hazelnut flavours dominate a palate which is ripe and full bodied. Delicate, minimal handling has produced a wine which is concentrated, but soft and elegant, long in texture and flavour, and has a slight mineral edge.

Cellaring

This wine will reward careful cellaring for up to five years. Over time, the fruit, oak and various fermentation characters will become even more integrated and complexity of mineral and roasted cashew nuts will develop.

Harvest

The highlight of the 2005 vintage was a warm, dry summer and early Autumn which allowed us to hand harvest clean, fully ripe fruit with exceptional concentration.

Brix at harvest: 23° average

Winemaking

Winemakers: Chris Scott & Wendy Potts

Whole bunches were gently pressed and the juice briefly settled, before racking to French oak barrels where spontaneous (wild) fermentation was allowed to occur. 20% of the wine was allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation, to soften acidity and to aid texture and complexity.

Aged in a blend 50% new and 50% one year old French oak barriques for approximately thirteen months, the wine remained on its yeast lees after fermentation with battonage (lees stirring) to add an extra dimension of complexity and to increase palate texture.

Analysis

Alcohol: 13.5% by volume
Total acidity: 6.0g/L as tartaric

Vintages

1991-1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2004*

* currently available vintage(s)

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