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2021

Irwin Chardonnay

New Release

 

This flagship Chardonnay expresses a medley of peach and melon flavours, overlaid with toasty oak. A rich, ripe style with finely integrated oak and a taut but harmonious acidity on the finish.

 

96 POINTS – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

95 POINTS – Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

 

 

VARIETAL

100% Chardonnay
VINEYARD

Tietjen
CLONE

Mendoza
APPELLATION

Hexton Hills (Golden Slopes)
VINTAGE

2021
AREA VINES

1.765 hectares
CROPPING REGIME

6 tonnes per hectare – hand picked
Profile

Dry
ALCOHOL

13.2%
TA

5.56g/L
pH

3.49
RESIDUAL SUGAR

<2.2 g/L
NO. OF BOTTLES

3060
VOLUME

750 mL
Download Tasting Note

Irwin Chardonnay

Vineyard Review

This flagship Chardonnay is made from 100% Mendoza grapes from the famous Tietjen vineyard on the Golden Slopes sub region of Gisborne. The site has a rich history in producing award-winning Chardonnay for over 20 years. This narrow 10km strip is made up of small parcels of elevated sloping land. Medium to heavy Kaiti clay base is overlaid with 20-30cm of light black topsoil, with influences from the limestone foothills. These conditions allow vines to grow with a balance suited to super-premium winemaking.

We target low volumes, the grapes are hand leaf plucked and the crop reduced to 6 tonnes per hectare to increase the intensity and flavours in the wine.

Winemaking

Hand picked in the cool of the morning, the fruit for this wine achieved superb ripeness after another warm season in Gisborne. The grapes were gently pressed and slightly clarified prior to fermentation. The juice was then inoculated with the indigenous yeast from the vineyard using a technique called Pied du Cuvé. Here we pick a small parcel of grapes and crush prior to the full harvest and allow them to ferment on the skins. We then add these back into the juice to ferment the full parcel. This gives us a true expression
and terroir of the vineyard and provides layers of flavour and aroma complexity, as well as wonderful palate texture. Fermentation in a mixture of American and Hungarian oak barriques ensures a perfect integration of oak character and full malolactic fermentation adds richness and length. The wine is sir lie for 10 months before careful fining and bottling.

Tasting Notes

Colour

A lovely golden colour.

Aroma

Stone fruit and toasty oak.

Palate

A rich, ripe style with stone fruit and melon flavours overlaid with toasty oak. The wine has a taut but harmonious acidity on the finish.

Food Match

Perfect with seafood such as scallops and crayfish.

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