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Winemaking: The fruit from which this wine was made came from two different Mount Riley vineyards - Seventeen Valley and Renwick. The wine is made from clones 95 and 2/23, the clone 95 offering ripe stonefruit characters and the 2/23 zesty citrus characters and tight acidity giving the wine focus and energy. The 2010 growing season was typical for Marlborough with trademark warm days and cool nights. March and April were unseasonally warm allowing for great flavour development and ripeness.
Grapes were hand picked and whole bunch pressed to gently extract juice. It was then fermented on full solids juice in French oak barriques (25% new) using indigenous yeast derived from Mount Riley's winery and vineyard. Lees stirring was carried out post fermentation to build weight, texture and complexity.
Colour: Pale yellow / straw.
Bouquet: Peach, nectarine and citrus combine with beautifully integrated spice and toast characters derived from the fermentation in barrel.
Palate: A wine of complexity and character. Fruit concentration is supported by mealy texture, spice and toasted nuts, and bright natural acidity, creating a wine with balance and length of flavour.
Drink: Drinking well now and up to 2018. Great as an aperitif or match with light red meats, chicken, seafood or cheese.
Vintage
2009
Winemaking: The majority of the grapes from which this wine was made were grown in Mount Riley’s premium 17 Valley vineyard. This vineyard is one of the warmest sites in the Wairau Valley. It has a north west aspect which captures one of Marlborough’s warmest air flows. Soils are clay (so have a high mineral content) and gravel loam (which is good for retaining heat).
The 2009 growing season was an ideal one. Warm days and cool nights through summer, and settled weather from March right through to the end of our harvest allowed us to pick when flavors’ were at their peak and sugars and acidity in the grapes were perfectly balanced.
Grapes were hand picked and whole bunch pressed to gently extract juice. It was then fermented on full solids juice in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak using indigenous yeast from Mount Riley’s winery and vineyard. The wine went through full malolactic fermentation and lees’ stirring was carried out post fermentation to build weight, texture and complexity.
Colour: Pale yellow / straw.
Bouquet: A complex nose with citrus, stonefruit & flint characters. Secondary aromas of toasted nuts & creme brulee are also evident.
Palate: Concentrated and rich fruit flavours. Citrus and mineral characters impart freshness, brightness and taut, linear focus. This is supported by beautifully integrated oak and complex secondary characters.
Drink: Drinking well now and up to 2017. Great as an aperitif or match with light red meats, chicken, seafood or cheese.
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Vintage
2004
Colour
Brilliant yellow with golden hues
Bouquet
A complex and intense nose. Melon, cracked pepper and toast are evident and overlaid with aromas of vanilla, nut and butter.
Palate
This is a perfectly balanced wine with a lush and full mouth feel, a deliciously creamy texture, good concentration and a firm lasting finish.
Drink
Ready to drink, will develop over the next 4 years and drink well for up to 10 years. Match with white meats, seafood and cheeses.
Winemaking
Chardonnay grapes from our Renwick and Seventeen Valley vineyards in the heart of the Wairau Valley were hand harvested at exceptionally low yields (at around 3 tonnes per acre) and in perfect condition to produce this wine. Rootstock used included SO4, 5CC and 3309. These grapes were fermented at a cool temperature in oak making use of indigenous yeasts naturally occurring in the Mount Riley vineyard and winery. The wine was left in contact with lees for approximately 13 months to yield a complex mealy bouquet and palate. It was matured in predominantly new oak barriques, mostly of French origin with some American oak also being used.
Other Information
Grape varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Origin: Marlborough, New Zealand
Alcohol: 14.5%
RS: 2.5g/l
Bottle Barcode: 9419663020996
Carton Barcode: 19419663020993
Closure: Screwcap
Availability: Widely available in New Zealand. Exported to the USA & UK.
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