Matawhero Irwin Gisborne Chardonnay 2019

Matawhero Irwin Gisborne Chardonnay 2019American & Hungarian oak Stonefruit Melon Harmonious acidity "A stunning offering with outstanding concentration and complexity; the engaging bouquet shows golden peach, baked fig, vanillin oak and brioche characters, followed by a sumptuous palate that's both powerful and refined. Wonderfully harmonious and seamless with an impressively long gratifying finish. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jun 2021 "Very inviting bouquet with aromas

• American & Hungarian oak
• Stonefruit
• Melon
• Harmonious acidity

"A stunning offering with outstanding concentration and complexity; the engaging bouquet shows golden peach, baked fig, vanillin oak and brioche characters, followed by a sumptuous palate that's both powerful and refined. Wonderfully harmonious and seamless with an impressively long gratifying finish. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jun 2021

"Very inviting bouquet with aromas of sweet-baked-stone-fruits, dried apple, apricot and spices of oak. Complex, full-bodied, rich and dry, silky textured and mouth-filling with flavours of white smoke, vanilla and bacon (oak), yellow stone fruits, raw sugar and grapefruit. Lengthy finish with persistent flavours and very satisfying. Best drinking from 2021 through 2028+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jul 2021

A lovely golden colour. Stone fruit and toasty oak on the nose. 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.

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. They 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.

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.

Food Pairing: Perfect with seafood such as scallops and crayfish.