Brightwater Gravels Chardonnay 2023

Reviews

Cameron Douglas MS: Recommended.  Aromas and flavours of red apples and white preaches, layers of fresh cream and vanilla along with a stone soil quality. Crisp and dry as the wine touches the palate, mediumweight with a light satin touch also, flavours of stone fruits and fresh orchard fruits. Balanced and well made with a crisp and dry finish. Best 

drinking from 2024 through 2026.

Tasting note

Star bright and lemon in colour this Chardonnay is fruit driven with stone fruit richness and lemon rind. Secondary characters derived from ferment, bâtonnage and oak contribute subtle notes of nougat and spice to the nose and palate. The wine is medium bodied, citrus crisp and with a good fresh presence. The acidity is gentle yet pleasing and tapers the wine out to a long full finish.

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Type:White wine from New Zealand.

Varietal: Chardonnay

Food match: Poultry, pasta with cream sauce, grilled fish, or simply as a companion to a relaxing evening on the terrace.

Vineyard: Nelson, New Zealand

Soil type: Flat alluvial soils overlaying free draining gravels and clay base material.

Vintage Season 2023: Winter 2022 was not especially cold as local sea temperatures remained warmish and influenced the land. Precipitation on the other hand was frequent, and sometimes heavy. Budburst was again early as we have become accustomed to with the La Nina dominant weather umbrella. Spring growth was also vigorous with water at field capacity in the soils, and warmer temperatures. The energetic spring conditions proved challenging for flowering and fruitset resulting in variability within varieties and across regional sites. Periodic rain events continued through summer and the vineyard vigor continued as well. Temperatures remained warm so fruit development was not retarded. Fingers were crossed from verasion and with a large amount of luck the rain held off and fruit was allowed to ripen and be harvested. Picking started early March with the Rose and was completed in a relatively short four week period. Grapes were once again clean and ripe.

Regional climate: Nelson is regularly New Zealand’s sunniest region. With young alluvial soils, abundant clean fresh water and a sheltered topography, Nelson grows a wide range of crops to exceptional standards. The proximity of Nelson to the temperate Tasman Sea ensures minimal frost risk and moderation of extreme daytime tempera- tures. Grapes ripen evenly and slowly allowing full and bright flavour development.

Winemaking: Chardonnay clones Mendoza and 15 – were harvested together, early morning for this wine. The partially clarified juice was inoculated for ferment in tank. The yeast, chosen for its ability to reveal nutty, stone fruit and citrus characters. The ferment was managed with cooling to preserve the primary fruit characters and once dry was transferred with fine lees to French oak. The lees were stirred through the wine once a month and the wine inoculated for the mystical malolactic fermentation where bacteria covert malic acid to lactic, transforming the acid profile of the wine. In the new year, the wine was stabilized and readied bottling late January.

Wine style: dry

Alcohol: 13.5% vol

Bottle size: 0.75l

Notice: contains sulphites

Cellaring potential: 2026+

Closure: Screwcap

Produced and bottled by: Drinks Cabinet Limited, Atawhai, Nelson 7010, New Zealand

Imported by: vinabonus GmbH, Simmedenweg 40, 34134 Kassel, Germany.

To all Chardonnay wines