Viticulture

The year 2002 was the third release of the single vineyard Chardonnay from the Staete Landt Vineyard in Marlborough’s Rapaura area. The growing season started off rather wet which promoted good early growth in the vineyard. Fortunately the weather was dry for the flowering season leading to good fruit set. Cropping levels of the vines were adjusted to about 2.5 tonnes /acre (40 hl/ha) during veraison, ensuring that we obtained the best possible fruit with complexity and concentration. Good dry weather throughout the growing season allowed us to pick perfectly ripe grapes that were absolutely clean.

The summer though very sunny and dry was relatively cool. This aspect is important in that it allowed slow ripening of the grapes and maximum retention of the aromatic character of the wines.
The grapes were hand picked from two different Chardonnay blocks comprising both clone 15 and 95.

Harvest Dates: 2nd - 5th April 2002
Brix: 24.7 25.0

Winemaking

The handpicked grapes were whole bunch pressed to produce the finest most delicate juice only. This juice was settled briefly before being racked straight to barrels to undergo fermentation. The wine was fermented in a mixture of 25% new French oak and 75% older French oak barrels.
A portion of the wine was allowed an indigenous yeast fermentation adding complexity and extra mouth feel to the wine.
Following the alcoholic fermentation the barrels were stirred regularly until completion of the secondary malo lactic fermentation. The wine then aged on lees until they were eventually racked in April 2002.
When racked the different component wines were blended and lightly fined and then returned to barrel to clarify and to homogenize. In all the wine was aged in barrel for 15 months. Finally the wine was again racked from barrels in June 2002 and was given some polishing filtration before bottling.

Wine Analysis

Alcohol: 13%; Acidity: 6.5 g/l; pH: 3.4; Sugar: <3g/l

Tasting Note

A complex wine that has seen the benefit of long slow barrel maturation partly in new and the majority in older French oak barrels.
This has produced a subtle, tightly structured wine with emphasis on very ripe nectarine and a mealy cinnamon toast character rather than overt fruitiness. On the back of the palate this wine shows attractive mineral characters. Full bodied and dry with a crisp finish.
This wine will repay cellaring for three to five years.