Reserve Chardonnay 2006

2006 RESERVE CHARDONNAY

WINEMAKER’S NOTES

Picked from our 20 year old vines and some of our newer plantings from our Te Awanga vineyards. 10 different soil types in the vineyard, 6 different picking times, 5 different barrel makers all contribute to the complexity of this iconic wine.

The balance of fruit, acid oak and flavours is impeccable, whilst maintaining the trademark power. The result is a rounded and integrated wine with a luscious creamy texture. Beautifully ripe tropical and stone-fruit characters and a back bone of toasty oak integrated with acid means that this wine will cellar well for many years.

WINEMAKING INFORMATION

Hand harvested at 24-25 Brix, 40% of the grapes were given 6-10 hours skin contact, the rest were whole bunch pressed before the free run juice was fermented in 50% new oak of which 95% was French and 5% American. 4 different types of yeast were used including some wild ferments. The wine was aged for 11 months with weekly stirring of the lees using 5 different barrel makers. Bottled on the 28^th February 2007 and released En Primeur mid-January.

SUGGESTED DRINKING DATES

Now to 2012

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

TA 7.1 pH 3.45 1.4g/litre residual sugar

14.5% Alcohol