Chardonnay Block 2 2010

Felton Road, tasting note (feltonroad.com – produktside feltonroad.com, hentet 2026-10-19): 2010 Felton Road Chardonnay Block 2 – område: Bannockburn (Central Otago); drue: Chardonnay. Enkeltmark ifølge arket: The Elms Block 2 (The Elms vineyard). Producentens noter (engelsk): Tasting note: 17 months on gross lees in barrel (only 12% new) have left their mark on the nose: hints of grapefruit, but a dark cellar complexity with whiffs of toast, charcuterie and damp stone. The palate is richly textural with pink grapefruit, cream, but a mineral core of tension and absolute purity. Huge length through the finish, where the minerality dominates. A serious, long haul prospect that will reward patience. Vineyard & viticulture: Felton Road farms three properties totaling 32 ha in the Bannockburn sub-region of Central Otago. Block 2 is positioned on a gentle east facing slope immediately north of Block 3 on The Elms vineyard. 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: Mendoza clone Chardonnay from Block 2 was whole bunch pressed and flowed immediately (without settling) by gravity to barrel in the underground cellar. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in French oak (only 12% new), was followed by a long and complete malolactic over the spring and summer, with periodic stirring of the lees. After 17 months in barrel the wine was racked to tank for bottling in October 2011. The wine was not fined or filtered.