A seductive combination of mandarin and pink grapefruit mingles with the more savoury aromas of roasted nuts, freshly baked almond cookies and a whiff of smoky minerality. The savouriness carries through onto a rich, textural palate, evidence of this wine’s low-intervention genesis. It displays concentration and power, a core of citrusy fruit and a crisp, persistent finish.
eRobertParker.com #2037 Oct 2012 - Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The 2010 Chardonnay reveals lovely orange peel, pink grapefruit and meal nose with hints of sulphides, honeysuckle and ginger. Full-bodied, rich and silken, it has a good, crisp acid line, tons of citrus fruit and toast flavor and a long finish. Beautifully balanced throughout, consider drinking it now through 2017.
Tasted Jan 2012 - The final wine to be released from (ex Cloudy Bay) Kevin Judd's own personal venture from his debut vintage bringing the total to seven. Wild yeast and two vineyards planted with the Mendoza clone. Whole bunch pressed and ferrmented in French barriques (25% new) where it remained for 16 months before two months on yeast lees.'Occasional' lees stirring. Complex 'burgundian' nose. Quite a departure on the nose from the Marlborough norm, although the palate with its vibrant acidity and quite rich fruit is more recognisable. Good palate breadth - slight note of bitterness on the finish at the moment.
Issue June 15, 2012 - The lush texture stands out, as does the intensity of the pineapple, Meyer lemon, peach and apricot flavors that are as ripe as they are juicy, focused, refreshing and persistent on the finish. Drink now through 2016. –MW
Wild yeast ferment. So complex, with a bit of matchstick minerality on the nose as well as ripe pear and peach fruit and some toastiness. The palate is bold, full and concentrated, with nectarine, pear and spice notes. Good acidity. A complex wine.
The vineyards were hand-picked separately at high ripeness levels and whole bunch pressed using very low maceration press cycles. The resulting juice was settled and racked to French oak barriques (25% new). The juice was allowed to undergo spontaneous indigenous yeast fermentation, the final phase continuing for almost 12 months. The wine received occasional lees stirring and underwent a complete malo-lactic fermentation. It was transferred out of oak after 15 months and left on yeast lees a further four months. The wine was bottled in December 2011 with an alcohol of 14.5%, pH 3.18 and acidity of 7.3 g/l.
