Greywacke Chardonnay

Greywacke was created in 2009 by Kevin Judd, chief winemaker at Cloudy Bay from its inception for 25 years and instrumental in the international recognition which Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc enjoys now. The name 'Greywacke' was adopted by Kevin for his first Marlborough vineyard located in Rapaura in recognition of the high prevalence of rounded greywacke river stones in the soils of the vineyard, a sedimentary rock which is widely found in Marlborough. Kevin Judd is also New Zealand's finest wine photographer and has recently published a book 'The Landscape of New Zealand Wine'.

Chardonnay,

The grapes for this wine are primarily sourced from the low-yielding Mendoza clone, known for its concentration of flavour and crisp acidity; the balance were from Clone 95. The majority of the fruit was sourced from the lower reaches of the Brancott Valley and Fairhall, grown in gravelly, clay-loam soils, the remainder coming from Renwick and Rapaura, grown in young alluvial soils containing high proportions of New Zealand's ubiquitous greywacke river stones. The majority of the vineyards were trained using a two-cane VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) trellis with the balance on the divided Scott Henry canopy management system.

A relatively wet and mild spring ensured that soil moisture levels were well topped up and the growing season raced off to a frost-free start. Late spring was ideal, with intermittent rain creating perfect growing conditions, but cool periods during December resulted in variable fruit set. The new year brought sunny, settled weather and the district received no significant rainfall for the first two months. In typical Marlborough fashion, the hills to the south became parched and the very dry conditions necessitated careful management of water resources. Rain just after harvest had commenced in early March evoked considerable anxiety, but thankfully more settled weather followed. The harvest ran smoothly with all varieties reaching optimum ripeness, albeit slightly lower yields than expected. In all, an excellent, very dry season that has provided superb quality and concentration.

The vineyards were hand picked separately at high ripeness levels and whole-bunch pressed using very low maceration press cycles. The resulting juice was lightly settled and racked to French oak barriques (16% new). The juice went through spontaneous indigenous yeast fermentation, the final phase continuing for many months. The wine received occasional lees stirring and underwent a complete malolactic fermentation. It was transferred out of oak after 11 months and bottled in November 2020.

A seductive combination of pink grapefruit, lemon curd and candied orange rind intertwined with aromas of toasted hazelnuts and hot buttered brioche. This elaborate fusion of sweet-scented aromatics and a smoky, nutty savouriness carries through onto a wonderfully dry, flinty palate, with great texture, a tight structure and terrific ageing potential.

The perfect pairing for crustations and grilled poultry dishes.