MAHI CHARDONNAY 2018

Winery notes (2018 Vintage)
"This fruit comes from three vineyards; the Taylor Vineyard which is in the Rapaura area and the Twin Valleys vineyard, which we have been working with since 2003 and a very small amount of recently planted Clone 1066 from the Mahi home block in front of the winery.

All of the vines were intensively hand-tended and then the grapes hand picked prior to whole-cluster pressing at the winery. The juice goes to barrel with high solids and ferments totally with the indigenous yeasts that arrive with the fruit. All the wine is fermented in French oak barriques and sits on the yeast lees for eleven months prior to taking it to bottle.

In order to retain the structure of the wine we only allow a small portion of the blend to go through malolactic, meaning that the wine maintains elegance with age. It also allows the wine to be enjoyed with a wide range of foods, rather than dominating dishes."

Rated Outstanding & 95/100 Cameron Douglas MS, October 2020 (2018 Vintage)
"Smoky, toasty, fruity, rich and complex bouquet. Aromas of grapefruit and spice, nut, oak spices, roasted apple and peach, lemon and pith. On the palate – full-bodied, rich and complex in flavour and texture with new-ish barrel spices and grip, medium+ acidity then flavours of roasted stone fruits and citrus, baking spices and crush stone mineral suggestions. Balanced and well made, youthful, tense and lengthy. A lovely wine ready to enjoy from 2021 through 2027+."

5 Stars Yvonne Lorkin, January 2021 (2018 Vintage)
"Oh great Norse gods of the forests and seas, every sniff and sip of this mighty Marlbourian chardonnay conjures up tantalising toasted almond, grilled grapefruit and roast peach flavours that collide with juicy acidity and silky yet sexy textures to create a deliciously complex wine that’ll wow even the toughest of crowds. After being aged in barrel for 11 months then bottled without fining, it’s a hugely satisfying, slightly smoky, wild style that I am pretty much obsessed with."

Reviews for the 2017 vintage below…

5 Stars & 93/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2017 Vintage)
"A beautifully styled chardonnay; the complex bouquet shows ripe peach, rockmelon, nougat and hazelnut characters with subtle flinty complexity. The palate is equally attractive and engaging, wonderfully complemented by layers of fine texture and splendidly integrated acidity. At its best: now to 2023."

4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper (2017 Vintage)
"The 2017 vintage was hand-harvested at four sites in the Wairau Valley, fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels and wood-aged for 11 months. Full of youthful drive, it has fresh, strong, citrusy, peachy flavours, showing good complexity, a minerally streak, firm acid spine and a long, dry finish. Best drinking 2020+."