Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay

Black Label Chardonnay is crafted from fruit grown on sustainably certified vineyards in the Hawke’s Bay. With citrus, stonefruit, smoke and baking spices, this is an exuberant wine with a mouthfeel as enjoyable as the taste.

TASTING NOTES

Our Black Label Chardonnay is exuberant - displaying lime and lemon curd aromas with nectarine, mango, peach-skin and almond croissant. Gala apples, sweet citrus, brioche and cashew, on the palate, with peach and a smoky, mineral note lingering softly. A wine of easy complexity.

Fruit from our Gimblett Rd and Fernhill Vineyards in Hawke's Bay were crushed and held on skins for 24hrs to increase mouthfeel and flavour concentration. Six months on lees with a portion of new French oak enhanced richness and complexity.

Our Black Label Chardonnay can be enjoyed with a variety of food. Try our Black Label Chardonnay with char-grilled squid and lemon butter sauce, or barbecued chicken.

4 STARS - Winestate Magazine, Nov 2019 issue

"Finely balanced for current consumption, but also worth cellaring, this fragrant, vibrantly fruity wine has generous, ripe stonefruit flavours to the fore, a subtle seasoning of oak adding complexity, slightly buttery notes and a well-rounded finish."
4 STARS -Winestate Magazine, Nov 2019 issue

TASTING NOTES

Floral and fruity aromas with persimmon, Granny Smith and honeydew melon. Sweet fruited and peachy on entry. Soft and medium weighted with fresh ripe apples lingering on the finish.

Grapes from our Gimblett Rd, Eskdale and Fernhill Vineyards in Hawkes Bay were fermented in tank to retain primary fruit, an extended time was spent on lees to introduce richness and complexity. After blending the wine was lightly fined.

Can be enjoyed with a variety of food. Try our Black Label Chardonnay with char-grilled squid and lemon butter sauce, or barbecued chicken.

"Flavoursome, fruit-focused chardonnay with peach, guava, biscuit, ginger, struck flint, sea salt and spicy oak flavours, with a backbone of crisp acidity driving a moderately lengthy finish."
- Bob Campbell, www.realreview.com, Apr 2019

"Bright, pale straw colour, lighter edged. The nose is elegant with moderate depth and concentration of white and yellow stonefruits, along with subtle notes of citrus fruit, and suggestions of fragrant, nutty detail. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate is fresh and bright with lightly concentrated flavours of white and yellow stonefruits, entwined with subtle nutty notes, and hints of cream from the MLF. The mouthfeel is refreshing and bright, with fine, lacy acidity, and the wine flows with good energy and tension, carrying to a clean, dry finish of stonefruits and nuts. This is a fresh, bright, finely concentrated Chardonnay with stonefruit and hints of nutty and creamy detail."
- Raymond Chan, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, Apr 2018

"Nicely composed white-peach aromas with hints of limes. The palate has toasty, grilled-hazelnut flavors, as well as a neat array of ripe, fleshy peaches to close."
- James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com

TASTING NOTES

Lemon and peach with a hint of cashew on the nose. Nicely fruited – with peach, apple and nectarine, well integrated caramel notes and lingering citrus.

Grapes from our Gimblett Rd and Fernhill Vineyards in Hawkes Bay were fermented in tank to retain primary fruit, an extended time was spent on lees to introduce richness and complexity. After blending the wine was lightly fined.

Can be enjoyed with a variety of food. Try our Black Label Chardonnay with char-grilled squid and lemon butter sauce, or barbecued chicken.

'Crafted with food in mind', the 2017 vintage (4*) is aimed mostly at the restaurant trade. Tank-fermented and lees-aged 'with oak contact', it is a pale lemon/green, full-bodied, vibrant wine, sweet-fruited and slightly creamy, with generous stonefruit flavours, balanced acidity and toasty notes adding depth and complexity."

4 STARS - Michael Cooper. www.michaelcooper.co.nz