Delta Hatters Hill Marlborough Chardonnay 2019

Delta Hatters Hill Marlborough Chardonnay 2019French oak Ripe peach & fresh fig Hazelnut & gentle biscuit Creamy mouthfeel "Bright, youthful light yellow with a slight green golden hue. The bouquet is soft with poise aromas of melon and stonefruit, subtle hazelnut and toasty nuances. Medium bodied, the palate is bright and lively, presenting melon, ripened stonefruit and citrus; accompanied by spices, hazelnut and pastry with custard. Creamy texture entwined with a soft phenolic mouthfeel; the

• French oak
• Ripe peach & fresh fig
• Hazelnut & gentle biscuit
• Creamy mouthfeel

"Bright, youthful light yellow with a slight green-golden hue. The bouquet is soft with poise aromas of melon and stonefruit, subtle hazelnut and toasty nuances. Medium-bodied, the palate is bright and lively, presenting melon, ripened stonefruit and citrus; accompanied by spices, hazelnut and pastry with custard. Creamy texture entwined with a soft phenolic mouthfeel; the acidity is taut with good energy, contributing to a long refreshing finish with subtle spices. This is a youthful, well-crafted Chardonnay with ripe fruit nuances, hazelnut and custard pastry; a creamy texture and lingering taut acid drive alongside chalky mineral texture line to a sustained finish. Will benefit from short term ageing. Match with crayfish and poultry over the next 5 years. Predominant of fruit from Ure Valley, South Marlborough, fermented in French oak barrels with a third of new oak barriques, to 13% alc, 4g/l RS. Aged 10 months in barrels on lees and regular battonage" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, Jun 2020

"Already drinking well, the 2019 vintage (4.5*) was grown principally in the Ure Valley, south of the Awatere Valley, and fermented and matured for 10 months in French oak barriques. Fresh and elegant, it has excellent weight and vibrancy, with strong, peachy, citrusy flavours, gentle biscuity and toasty notes adding complexity, balanced acidity and a well-rounded, harmonious finish" Michael Cooper

A pale gold colour in the glass with aromas of ripe peach, fresh figs and subtle toasted hazelnuts. A textured and rich Chardonnay showing notes of tropical peach, ripe apricot and delicate hazelnut. A subtle oak influence leading to a lingering toasty finish. Drinking beautifully from release and will continue to mature over the next five to eight years.

The Hatters Hill Chardonnay was harvested predominantly from a small vineyard in the Ure Valley, located in the Southern tip of Marlborough. The balance was hand selected from small parcels of grapes from the southern side of the Wairau Valley. The combination of sites fuses together the Ure Valley's subtle minerality with the Wairau Valley's rich and expressive characteristics, making for a complex and elegant Marlborough Chardonnay.

The Chardonnay grapes were lighty pressed and trasferred into French oak barrels for fermentation, a third of which were brand new oak barriques. Fermented with a specially selected yeast strain, the grapes then went through malolactic fermentataion and were left on the lees for ten months in barrel, with regular stirring to enhance the creamy characteristics. Heather then selected her favourite barrels for blending prior to lightly filtering and gentle bottling.

Food Pairing: Excellent when paired with a creamy risotto topped with parmesan and crushed pine nuts.

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