Chardonnay Bannockburn 2010

Felton Road, tasting note (feltonroad.com – produktside feltonroad.com, hentet 2026-10-19): 2010 Felton Road Chardonnay Bannockburn – område: Bannockburn (Central Otago); drue: Chardonnay. Producentens noter (engelsk): Tasting note: Citrus flowers combined with the zest of pink grapefruit forms the nose. The palate is texturally broad and plush, yet the flavours stay taut and seriously focussed. There is a refreshing mineral and acid spine on which the pink grapefruit and blood orange flavours integrate with a lingering toastiness. Very clean into the finish, textural, pure and mineral. A real energy in this wine. Vineyard & viticulture: Felton Road farms three properties totaling 32 ha in the Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. Meticulous summer management of a single vertical shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking, bunch thinning and harvest are all carried out by hand to ensure optimum quality fruit. Cover crops are planted between rows to assist in vine balance and to improve soil health and general biodiversity The season started slowly after a cool and wet winter. There were some frosts throughout the spring but nothing severe that couldn’t be fought and no damage was sustained. Excellent weather during flowering and with a little green harvest in some blocks, resulted in perfect crop loads and a very even bunch maturity. January was cool and wet but then February and March balanced this with warm and very dry weather. The vines were in very healthy condition with harvest commencing on March 30 and concluding on April 23. There was nothing extraordinary about the growing season and it can be regarded as a very fine year. Low sugar levels at harvest (important to keep alcohols from climbing too high) and stable acidities were a very pleasing aspect of the 2010 vintage. Vinification: A selection was made in the vineyard of the more intensely flavoured Chardonnay grapes (Mendoza clone) for barrel fermentation. Fully ripe grapes were carefully hand harvested and whole bunch pressed to minimise phenolic pick-up and retain flavour intensity. The juice was then drained (without settling) directly to barrel in the underground cellar. Fermentation in French oak (only 10% new) with indigenous yeasts has produced a wine with considerable complexity. A long slow malolactic fermentation and regular stirring of the lees (Batonnage) has softened the acid for a rich creamy mouthfeel.