Viticulture

The Staete Landt Vineyard located in Marlborough’s top Rapaura region experienced a completely different weather pattern in the lead up to the 2005 vintage. The early part of the growing season right through to mid-summer was quite wet and cold which had some influence on flowering and fruit set of most varietals, including our Chardonnay. We therefore needed to do less fruit removal than in recent years.
From mid-January onwards a variable weather pattern emerged with a pick up in average temperatures. The final one and half months prior to harvest were ideal: warm and dry weather often with very cool night temperatures. The cropping level of the vines was adjusted to just below 2.5 tonnes/acre (40 hl/ha) during veraison, ensuring that we obtained the best possible fruit with complexity and concentration.

The grapes were all hand picked from four different Chardonnay blocks comprising the two clones 15 and 95, both planted on different rootstocks and different soil types for further complexity.

Harvest Dates: April 15 - April 21 2005
Brix: 23.0 – 24.5

Winemaking

Only hand picked grapes were used for this wine. These were whole-bunch-pressed to produce the finest most delicate juice. 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.
Half 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. They were then aged on lees until they were eventually racked in August 2006. In all the wine was aged in barrel for a total of 19 months. After the final racking the different component wines were blended together, lightly fined and then kept in tank to clarify just prior to bottling.

Wine Analysis

Alcohol: 14 %; Acidity: 6.45g/l; pH: 3.29; Sugar: <2.0 g/l

Tasting Note

This wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels the majority of which were older than 5 years and approximately 25% were new. This has produced a complex yet subtle wine that has an intense, ripe nectarine, leesy aroma overlaying a creamy almond, vanilla character, rather than overt fruitiness. This is a full bodied and elegant wine, with a dry and crisp finish.