Swamp Reserve Chardonnay is made from the top block of the Middle Road Vineyard, where the vines produce the ripest and cleanest fruit. The grapes were harvested and transported to Auckland, where they were pressed lightly to reduce phenolic extraction. The juice was settled before being transferred to a mix of new and seasoned (40:60) French oak barriques. Primary and Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel, with the wine aging a further 10 months on yeast lees. Barrels were individually selected for the blend based on their fruit purity and aromatic excellence.
Analysis
Alc 13%
Acid 6.8 g/L
Res sugar 1.4g/L
pH 3.25
Tasting Notes
Colour: Pale in the glass as a young wine, but will develop pale gold tints with time in the bottle.
Bouquet: Year after year the fruit from this vineyard exhibits ripe lemon and grapefruit characters. This is interwoven with subtle oak and lees and MLF derived creaminess.
Palate: Harmony and balance have become two of the hallmarks of our Swamp Reserve style. This wine has fineness and structure, yet is also incredibly complex and long.
Cellaring
Our Reserve Chardonnays drink beautifully after about 12 to 18 months, and then cellar out to around five years in the correct environment.
Food Matching
Full flavoured chardonnays are great food wines, especially richly flavoured meat dishes such as lamb, pork and duck, and seafood - crayfish, salmon and trout. Accompanying sauces could include citrus, apple, nuts, mushrooms and aromatic herbs.
Suggested Wine List Description
Full, rich and complex white wine, with delicious sweet fruit flavours, well balanced with nut and oak tones and great length of flavour.
Independent Reviews
“Bold and expressive, youthful and varietal, fresh and new. No mistaking the combination of peach and wood scents, vanilla cream and nutty lees qualities. On the palate - a full bodied and delicious example with flavours that mirror the bouquet. Lovely mouthfeel and finish with fine wood tannins and acid back bone with a whisper of saline. Excellent length and persistency.” Cameron Douglas
“Ripe, weighty chardonnay with citrus, grapefruit, sizzled butter, roasted chestnut, struck-flint and spicy oak flavours supported by racy acidity and a backbone of fine tannins.” Bob Campbell
Awards
Outstanding/95 Points CamDouglasMS.com, April 2022
5 Stars Peter Saunders, July 2022
Top Rank/94 Point/4 Stars The Real Review, Nov 2021
Top 12 Chardonnays Mindfood Magazine, May 2022
