Kidnappers Vineyard Chardonnay

Vintage:
  • Location:

  • Vintage Details:

    Warm, La Niña Summer

    Brix:   21.9 average 
    Production level: 50 hl/ha
    Hand harvested: 75%

  • Winemaking:

    Whole bunch:  75%    
    Destemmed:  25%    
    Fermentation vessel:    Stainless steel tanks and French oak cuves, puncheons and barriques
    Fermentation:    Indigenous and inoculated
    Barrel type:    French oak barriques, puncheons and cuves 
    New barrel %:   12%   
    Maturation:  5 months  
    Fining:    Yes
    Filtration:   Yes
    Bottled:    Nov-11

    WINE ANALYSIS

     
    Alcohol:    12.9
    Residual sugar:    Nil  
    pH:    3.28
    Acidity: 6.11g/l

  • Tasting Notes:

    Very pale straw with pronounced green hues. A mineral infused nose characterised as chalk dust, flint, lemon and a hint of cream and almond. The palate has a racy presence with citrus fruits, chalky texture and balancing acidity. A long textural line through the palate allows this lithe Chardonnay to exhibit surprising length of flavour.

  • Food Match:

    Aperitif or subtle fish dishes

  • How it's Drinking:

    Recommended cellaring: 5 years from vintage

  • View Reviews of Wine:

    Date: December 2012
    Publication: www.jamessuckling.com
    91 Points
    “This has the weight of a Premier Cru Chablis with dried apples, cream and a hint of lemons. Full body, with a dense compacted palate and a creamy, crunchy acidity. Makes you want to drink it.”
    - James Suckling

    Date: June 2012
    Publication: Wine Spectator
    “Flavors of lime and peach are focused and pure, showing both a juicy intensity and a soft elegance. Notes of crushed stone, rosemary and hints of spice gain momentum on the finish.”
    - MaryAnn Worobiec

    Date: August 2012
    Publication: www.winereviewonline.com
    “Full-bodied with power and finesse and very fine peach and apple flavours underpinned by racy acidity and minerality. Drink alone, with salted almonds, whitebait or marinated anchovies.”
    - Adam Lechmere

    Date: June 2012
    Publication: www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz
    “Poised citrusy fruit with a touch of saline, much more pure than earlier releases, expressing the fruit with clarity, yet being true to the terroir of the growing site.”
    - Raymond Chan

    Date: June 2012
    Publication: Winestate
    “Grown near the cost at Te Awanga, this wine is a lightly wooded style, fermented in tanks and barrels. Mouthfilling, fresh and citrusy, with a very subtle seasoning of oak, it’s a good food wine – crisp, refined, dry and sustained.”
    - Michael Cooper

    Date: August 2012
    Publication: Food and Travel
    “Full-bodied with power and finesse and very fine peach and apple flavours underpinned by racy acidity and minerality. Drink alone, with salted almonds, whitebait or marinated anchovies.”
    - Adam Lechmere


Kidnappers Vineyard Chardonnay
A modern, New World expression of pure Chardonnay.

The cool yet sunny environment of our Te Awanga Vineyard near Cape Kidnappers allows the development of intense Chardonnay flavours in the grapes, captured using traditional winemaking techniques seen in the Chablis region of France.