Whitehaven Marlborough Chardonnay 2021

A rich, full-bodied wine, with roundness, and a lingering finish. The flavours of meal and stone fruit dominate, balanced with savoury, spice and char from the oak.

2020 was a classical growing season with plenty of sunshine, not too much heat through Summer and a return to cool nights preceding harvest, ensuring acidities and flavours remained bright and vibrant. This was all built on good rainfall pre-Christmas, which set the vines up with healthy working canopies that held through to the end of harvest. The weather over harvest was settled and dry, allowing fruit to be harvested in lovely condition.

The fruit was hand-picked and immediately whole cluster pressed. The heavy pressings were kept separate to minimise harsh phenolics. The juice was lightly settled before being racked and inoculated for fermentation. Halfway through fermentation, the wine was transferred to French oak of which 22% were new and predominantly 500L puncheons. Malo-lactic fermentation was carried out in all the barrels. Lees aged for 10 months to aid texture and richness on the palate.

Halfway through fermentation, the wine was transferred to French oak of which 20% new and predominantly 500L puncheons. Malo-lactic fermentation was carried out in all the barrels. Lees aged for 10 months to aid texture and richness on the palate.