Lake Road Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2021

Lake Road Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2021French oak Stonefruit Honey dew melon White florals "Richly fruited and gorgeously complex with golden peach, mango, vanillin oak and roasted hazelnut aromas, it's succulent and creamy in the mouth displaying excellent fruit power combined with seductive oak infusion, making it delectable and highly enjoyable. At its best: now to 2025" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2021 "Bright, pale yellow with a green hue, even colour throughout. The nose is softly full,

• French oak
• Stonefruit
• Honey-dew melon
• White florals

"Richly fruited and gorgeously complex with golden peach, mango, vanillin oak and roasted hazelnut aromas, it's succulent and creamy in the mouth displaying excellent fruit power combined with seductive oak infusion, making it delectable and highly enjoyable. At its best: now to 2025" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2021

"Bright, pale yellow with a green hue, even colour throughout. The nose is softly full, with generous fruit aromas of melon, stonefruit melded with flint, spice and creamy elements. Full-bodied, aromas of rockmelon, ripe nectarine enriched by flint and pastry, unfolding spice and cream. The fruit is ripe with good balance and a clean acid line. Subtle phenolics coated the mouthfeel, adding texture. This creamy Chardonnay possesses juicy, ripe fruit and barrel-fermentation interests supported by balanced acidity. Match with roasted chicken and pork over the next 3-5 years. A combination of handpicked, whole bunch pressed and machine-picked; a portion wild fermented in barrels and underwent MLF, and a portion fermented in tank with inoculated yeast. The final blend aged approx 6 months in barrel/ tank, 75% barrel fermented, balance fermented in tank" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, Jul 2022

This wine is a lovely pale, straw gold. The nose presents white florals, ripe sweetcorn, stonefruit and honey-dew melon, backed by a dash of lees influence and subtle French oak. The wine is medium to full bodied with glorious texture, weight and length, and a delightful creaminess on the finish. It is ready to drink now, but will improve into the medium term with careful, cool cellaring.

A spectacular vintage in Gisborne, with warm, settled weather allowing harvest to take place at the perfect moment. Two separate parcels of Gisborne fruit were harvested in March. The free run went to barrel for a wild ferment with a small amount in tank to be inoculated with a commercial yeast strain. The barrel ferment components went through malolactic fermentation at the end of primary fermentation. The wine stayed in barrel/tank until October 2021. Overall, 20% of the assemblage saw new French oak and 75% was barrel fermented. The remaining 25% was tank fermented. The wine was bottled in November 2021.

Food Pairing: Match with seafood, chicken and pork.