Felton Road Block 2 Chardonnay 2023

Category:
 
White Wines
Sub-Category:  
 
White Wines
Producer:
 
Felton Road
Label Name:
 
Block 2 Chardonnay
Vintage:
 
2023
Country:
 
New Zealand
Region:
 
Central Otago (Bannockburn - Elms Vineyard)
Volume:
 
750ml
ABV:
 
14%
Grape(s):
 
Chardonnay
Acidity:
 
5
Sweetness:
 
1
Body:
 
3
Length:
 
4
Aroma Intensity:
 
4
Best Temperature:
 
10-12°C

Awards/Ratings
James Suckling 96 (Nov 2024). The Real Review 95 (Nov 2024). Vinous (Rebecca Gibb) 94. Jancis Robinson (Julia Harding) 17. 5/20. Robert Parker / Wine Advocate 90

Tasting Note
Citrus blossom, lemon zest, green apple and pear with crushed stone minerality, elderflower and subtle almond pastry. Fine, laser-like acidity, saline tension and a caressing, textured mid-palate leading to a long, savory finish.

Food Pairing
Roast chicken, butter-poached lobster, grilled salmon, pork belly; Asian: sushi/sashimi, steamed fish with ginger & spring onion, miso-glazed black cod, tempura and light Thai or Vietnamese dishes.

Production Method
Mendoza-clone fruit whole-bunch pressed, settled overnight and gravity-fed to French oak; fermented with indigenous yeasts in mostly seasoned oak (small % new), long malolactic and 16–17 months on lees. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Vineyard Info
Felton Road’s biodynamic Elms vineyard (Block 2) planted c.1992 on free-draining schist soils in Bannockburn, Central Otago; estate is noted for low-intervention, gravity-fed winemaking.