VINTAGE CONDITIONS
Our wines from the 2023 vintage will show the great elegance and finesse that comes with a cooler season. Taut acidity balanced by a crescendo of lifted aromatic flavours will make these wines an essential addition to any serious wine cellar.
The third year of a ‘la nina’ weather pattern brought high rainfall and lower temperatures throughout the 2022 spring. Thankfully the rare, deep, red-ferrosol soils on which the Delamere vineyard is planted provide excellent drainage, and we were able to get our equipment onto the vineyard between showers to give the growing vines all the attention they required. A change to warmer conditions through December and January helped the ripening process catch up, but wet conditions returned through February and March. Judicious canopy management and a lucky warm, dry break in early April, allowed us to ripen our fruit for the Delamere Estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to perfection. One of our more challenging seasons, 2023 demonstrated the virtues of good planning, with the last bucket of fruit being carried down to the winery on Saturday 16th April, about 30 minutes before rain once again set in!
WINEMAKING
Every aspect of making this wine seeks to allow our unique vineyard characteristics to shine through, developing a complexity and texture that truly cool climate chardonnay fruit can carry so well. Carefully hand harvested from Delamere's 22 and 42 year-old blocks (roughly half from each) in the cool of the morning, the fruit is pressed directly into Burgundian coopered French oak, 30% new, and allowed to commence natural fermentation. Full malolactic fermentation and 9 months in oak with intermittent lees stirring were an integral part of crafting this wine.
TASTING NOTES
A highly fragrant aroma of kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, and fresh-cut lemon. The palate has razor-sharp precision wrapped in a complex blend of zesty citrus fruits, grapefruit pith, ginger spice and shave almonds, with a hint of cream-curd on the finish. The length is exceptional, with a lingering creamy sweetness, seamless balance and slatey acidity.
Food matches
Roast chicken with truffle butter, wild mushroom risotto with shaved pecorino, rabbit ravioli, leek and potato veloute.