Cable Bay Reserve Chardonnay 2019

My wine of the vintage. From grapes grown on naturally low yielding, 22 year old vines, from our home vineyard on Waiheke Island. This wine has tension and complexity, with struck flint, grapefruit, nectarine, and white floral aromatics complementing a focused palate. Fine phenolic texture and minerally acidity add depth and length respectively. It has incredibly good length and drive, defined by the salinity from the ocean. The oak is well integrated and elegant, while supporting the structure of the wine. This wine has real presence, and is built to age - Chloe Somerset, Winemaker.

This wine is from predominantly UCD 15 clone Chardonnay vines grown on a single vineyard site in our estate owned Waiheke Island vineyard. We are located on the sun-drenched, western side of the island, facing Rangitoto Volcano. We have predominantly mineralised clay soils over Jurassic era rock. Typically, this type of geology and soil will provide wines with great mid-palate weight and minerality. Our viticulture is meticulous, with the aim of balanced, heathy vines, which bear beautifully ripe grapes with intense concentration of natural Chardonnay characteristics. Harvesting perfect fruit is our first priority.

Our Reserve wines are only made in the very best of vintages, and in limited quantities. The ripe fruit was hand-harvested early in the morning whilst the grapes were nice and cool, transported across the road to the winery, and immediately whole bunch pressed. It was then pressed directly to a puncheon, leaving textural Chardonnay juice to enter wild yeast fermentation. No malolactic fermentation on this wine, to preserve the natural acidity of our warmer sub-tropical climate. Following barrel ferment, the wine aged in oak (10% new) on full lees for 17 months before assemblage and bottling.

Wild fermented and matured in French oak for 17 months