Auntsfield Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2019

COLOUR: Rich straw gold

AROMA: Intense and complex, this wine displays aromas of peaches, mandarin peel and lemon tart, integrated with brioche and crème brulee aromas from the French oak influence.

PALATE: Ripe and intense stone fruit flavours of peach and dried apricot complimented by subtle French oak influence giving hints of roasted hazelnut. A tight and linier palate with underlying minerality concludes with seamless length.

The Southern Valleys is a sub region within Marlborough where the climate is cooler and drier. With its mix of high mineral Greywacke rock and old low fertility Loess clay soils, the Southern Valleys is regarded for its riper styles of wine with more structure, texture and minerality.

The fruit for this wine was hand harvested and whole bunch pressed, allowing clean and intensely flavoured juice to be pressed from the grape. The juice was fermented in French oak barriques, with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeast, followed by extended barrel ageing on yeast lees. Maturation allowed the oak flavours to gently integrate with the fruit and yeast lees characters and develop increased richness and complexity in the wine.