Villa Maria Platinum Selection Sur Lie Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2018

Villa Maria Platinum Selection Sur Lie Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2018Matured 'sur lie' Toasty oak Vanilla Ripe stone fruit Predominantly sourced from the iconic Keltern Vineyard, barrel fermented and perfectly blended to produce a distinctive wine, this Chardonnay reveals a fragrant nose of ripe stone fruit, with complexing toast and vanilla characters from French oak. The wine is matured sur lie (on yeast lees) adding further richness and texture prior to bottling. The 2018 Hawkes Bay vintage followed on from

• Matured 'sur lie'
• Toasty oak 
• Vanilla
• Ripe stone fruit

Predominantly sourced from the iconic Keltern Vineyard, barrel fermented and perfectly blended to produce a distinctive wine, this Chardonnay reveals a fragrant nose of ripe stone fruit, with complexing toast and vanilla characters from French oak. The wine is matured ‘sur lie’ (on yeast lees) adding further richness and texture prior to bottling.

The 2018 Hawkes Bay vintage followed on from officially one of the warmest summers on record. Harvest commenced in early March and immediately came under intense weather pressure from rain, leading to a compressed harvest for Chardonnay. Clones 15, cl95 and cl548 feature from the Keltern and Lyons Vineyards. The fruit was gently pressed and the juice inoculated with yeast prior to being transferred to oak barriques (25% new) for fermentation. 11 months maturation with weekly battonage on full yeast lees followed prior to bottling.

Food Pairing: A classic match with most white meats, rich seafood dishes, cheese and salads. Also highly enjoyable on its own.