Estate Chardonnay 2022
Some years ago we planted a couple of parcels of land on both of our Blue Rock and Eclipse vineyards to Chardonnay with the ambition of producing, in time, a decent volume of Chardonnay to offer as part of our “Estate” range. Well, the years have rolled on and the time has come, albeit in modest volumes, for this first release; The 2022 Luna Estate Chardonnay.
Winemaker Note
“Clear, bright and shimmering in the glass. Spring florals, peach, green melon and lemon balm with a bit of buttermilk biscuit and flint adding a little intrigue. The palate has an appealing plump roundness with peachy flavours and textures. I like that there is a bit of tightness in the mid palate with a finish which is a little crisp and saline as well as being nice and dry. Lighter, textured dry white wines are super versatile when it comes to food or indeed as a stand alone drink or two after a hard day doing life.”
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Pulling off a viable crop is a tricky task even when the weather is playing along. Some seasons the gods are not smiling though and it these seasons which feel like they are sent to test us!
The 21/22 spring was strongly influenced by a strong La Nina cycle which created frequent NE weather events across the East Coast of the North Island bringing high humidity and frequent rain events, conditions which are less than ideal for grape farming; Pinot Noir in particular. Our vineyard team did an amazing job in highly challenging conditions to get us to a great position in Mid – January where it looked like an excellent crop was on the cards, plus the crucial period of flowering in late November turned out to be near perfect for the task. It felt like the region as a whole had somehow pulled off a miracle!
The good vibes were short lived unfortunately when a rainfall event of biblical proportions struck the region in the 2nd week of February, around a third of annual rainfall fell over two days! Pinot Noir vineyards on the terrace, particularly those with Dijon clones were worst affected with widespread berry collapse followed by shrivel. Botrytis was also a very real threat and swept through many blocks making picking near impossible. Producers like us with sites off the terrace and a higher portion of the later ripening Pinot clones; Abel, 10/5 for example, certainly fared better. White varieties, because they are later ripening , were largely unaffected and quality across the board quality was high, ditto for Syrah.
Looking at the wines 6 -7 months on I am extremely happy with what I see. It is the most satisfying to produce great wines in difficult years.
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The fruit was gently pressed with the juice run off to tank for a quick cold settle prior to fermentation and maturation in seasoned French oak barrels. The wine was kept in contact with its’ lees in barrel for 6 months prior to racking and a light filtration before bottling.
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Lake Ferry flounder pan fried in butter until crispy skinned, served with new potatoes and dressed rocket & pear salad
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pH 3.38
TA 5.1 g/L
RS < 1 g/L
Alc 13 %
Bottled Sep 2022
