Seifried Aotea Barrique fermented chardonnay 2019

The Aotea by the Seifried Family Chardonnay is a blend of a handful of the very best barrels from our outstanding 2019 vintage. The wine is rich and luscious with notes of toasted hazelnuts, cinnamon brioche and baked peach. The palate is supple with toasty oak notes lingering on the finish.

Our Brightwater Vineyard is situated 15KM from the coast and is sheltered from the south by the Richmond Ranges. The ‘soil’ is a combination of rocks and boulders which is very hard on the farm equipment, but vital for holding the warmth of Nelson’s sun and for ripening the grapes.

The hen and chicken berries of the Mendoza Chardonnay clone give full tropical flavours. Fruit was harvested and brought to the winery where it was immediately pressed and cooled for a 24 hour settling period. Following this the juice was racked and warmed before inoculation. Once ferment was activated, it was gravity fed to new, one and two year old French barriques. The wine completed primary alcohol fermentation in oak before undergoing malolactic fermentation.

During alcoholic fermentations the barrels were hand stirred periodically to build palate weight and structure. The wine was then left on its yeast lees for a further 12 months before racking from barrique and bottling.