Esk Valley Artisanal Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2021

Esk Valley Artisanal Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2021French oak Peach & grapefruit Grilled nuts & oatmeal Rich & full flavoured "It's elegantly fruited and delightfully expressed on the nose showing white flesh stone fruit, lemon peel, nougat and roasted cashew aromas, followed by a soothing palate that's ripe and fleshy. Beautifully harmonious and lingering with appealing complexity. At its best: now to 2026" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Feb 2022 "Aromas of fresh peach and raw cashew nut, baked apple and

• French oak
• Peach & grapefruit
• Grilled nuts & oatmeal
• Rich & full flavoured

"It's elegantly fruited and delightfully expressed on the nose showing white flesh stone fruit, lemon peel, nougat and roasted cashew aromas, followed by a soothing palate that's ripe and fleshy. Beautifully harmonious and lingering with appealing complexity. At its best: now to 2026" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Feb 2022

"Aromas of fresh peach and raw cashew nut, baked apple and vanilla spice, there’s a moment of fresh yoghurt suggestng some softening of acidity that works nicely alongside the barrel spice and toasty qualities. Plenty of weight and satin texture on the palate, dry with flavours of tree and orchard fruits, citrus and baking spice. The nutty cashew nut quality also returns. Youthful, refresging and dry. A lovely wine with best drinking from late 2022 through 2028+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Feb 2022

This is a rich and full flavoured Hawke's Bay Chardonnay. Its flavour profile is a mix of peach, grilled nuts, oatmeal and grapefruit with a subtle oak spice. It is both complex and delicious and a classic expression of Hawke's Bay Chardonnay.

The individual vineyard parcels were harvested separately in early March and fermented using wild yeast in French oak barriques. Seventy per cent of the wine was allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation which softened the wine and added further complexity. The wine was left on its lees undergoing regular stirring before being blended and bottled in late December 2021.

A blend of contrasting Hawke's Bay vineyard sites. Fruit from parcels of old clone 95 vines in Bay View and old Mendoza vines from the Gimblett Gravels provide the wine with richness and texture, while a small parcel of clone 15 vines planted inland on a cooler river terrace at Maraekakaho provides acidity and a flinty grapefruit note. Low yields and a dry 2021 season allowed us to harvest fruit in excellent condition.