Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2004
Ref: nz220
Price:
£18.95
The majority of the crop was hand picked and loaded directly into tank presses; the remainder was machine-harvested into small bins, and then loaded and pressed the same way. The juice was then racked into stainless steel tanks or oak barrels. The tank portion was inoculated with a cultured yeast strain, and then transferred to barrel once fermentation had begun. The remainder was allowed to ferment using indigenous yeast strains. All batches were fermented in French oak barrels, a low proportion of which were new, and most of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. The components were blended after one full year in barrel, and the blend remained on yeast lees for a further period prior to a light fining for clarification.
Aromas of freshly baked biscotti, straight from the oven ... grapefruit and lemon peel, roasted Brazil nut and dried figs. Derived from a combination of Burgundian winemaking style and vibrant Marlborough fruit, the palate is chalky in texture and the flavours deliciously refined, with hints of baked apple over flinty yeast characters.
The Cloudy Bay Chardonnay is impeccably balanced and shows potential to age gracefully for at least the next five years.

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