2010 CHARDONNAY

Supple and ripe with intense pear, quince and tropical fruit flavours, this oft and full bodied with a rich creamy mouthfeel supported by a mineral backbone and a long lingering aftertaste.
Appearance: Pale straw with bright clarity
Bouquet: A beautiful bouquet of ripe white peaches with notes of manderin together with toasty well integrated oak.
Palate: Full bodied fruit driven wine with a rich creamy mouthfeel. This is supported by a mineral backbone and a long lingering aftertaste.
Technical Analysis
Location: 45 Degrees South
Low cropping Chardonnay grapes for this wine were grown at Aurum’s 45th Parallel vineyard in Lowburn, near Cromwell.
Climate: a long warm autumn with hot dry days and cool nights allowed and extended ripening of fruits still holding good acidity.
Soils: fluvial, glacial silts and gravels.
Vine Age: 13 year old vines on VSP trellis.
Winemaker’s comments: The grapes were hand harvested and then whole bunch pressed. Fermentation was in French oak barrels, ( 25% new oak) with selected French yeasts. The wine was lees stirred over 10 months and went through malolactic fermentation overt he winter.
Bottled: 23 Feb 2011
Alcohol: 14.5%,
Acidity: 6.6 g/L,