Astrolabe The Farm
Chardonnay
2019
The Farm vineyard is our home block, and the chardonnay here holds particular significance to me because the first wine I made under the name Astrolabe was a chardonnay from this site. I sought out fruit from a wider representation of Marlborough terroir, and this original wine ultimately became my classic Province Marlborough Chardonnay. Over twenty years later, this new release The Farm Chardonnay celebrates the unique character of my vineyard.
The Farm is dry farmed and certified organic. These are the oldest vines we make wine from at Astrolabe. These vines are low cropping, which, combined with dry farming on rich loam soils, provides an excellent concentration of fruit. These chardonnay rows are made up of diverse collection of clones (Mendoza, 15, 2/22 and 6), providing a spread of ripening and harvest dates and a flavour variation throughout the clonal mix.
Hand-picked fruit was whole-cluster pressed, with only the cuvée juice used for this wine. Delicately extracted juice with high retained solids was allowed to undergo spontaneous barrel fermentation, led by the vineyard yeast. Full malolactic conversion occurred as the wine aged for ten months in French oak puncheons. The final wine was selected from three different puncheons of different ages.
630 bottles produced.
Simon Waghorn — Winemaker
TASTING NOTES
COLOUR/APPEARANCE
Mid straw gold.
AROMA/BOUQUET
Stonefruit and pineapple with a hint of nutmeg and floral notes of chamomile and jasmine.
PALATE
A delicate and mineral palate with flavours of lemon peel, dried papaya and beeswax.
AGING POTENTIAL
This wine will continue to develop rewarding flavour and bottle complexity with aging.
CHARDONNAY PAIRING
Pair this wine with sashimi, lobster, oysters, artichokes, sole fried in butter, or pasta al limone.
CHARDONNAY SERVING TEMPERATURE
Cool room temperature.
5 STARS
“The stylish 2019 vintage was estate-grown at Astrolabe Farm, at Grovetown, in the lower Wairau Valley, hand-harvested and fermented and matured for 10 months in French oak puncheons. Bright, light lemon/green, it is a highly fragrant, medium to full-bodied wine, concentrated and youthful, with ripe stone-fruit flavours, a subtle seasoning of biscuity oak, and a very harmonious, creamy-textured finish. Already delicious, it's well worth cellaring to 2022+.”
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Michael Cooper
New Zealand Wines: Michael Coopers Buyer’s Guide 2021
93 POINTS
“Fermented in French puncheons, the oak-derived roasted-hazelnut-like characters sing loud and proud on the nose, but the palate reveals much greater nuance. There's excellent clarity and depth of white stone fruit and citrus. The long finish has lovely freshness and tension, filling the mouth with a smoky scent. Give this a little time to grow into itself in bottle and it will pay dividends.” NOV 20
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Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine
Vinous
94 POINTS
"Very bold and expressive bouquet with aromas of roasted nut and baked stone fruits, fresh grapefruit and a fine savoury complexity. Full-bodied, complex and detailed on the palate. The mouthfeel emphasises the raw core fruit centre with textures from tannins and acidity, some lees and natural energy. Balanced and well made in a drink now through 2030 expression." FEB 22
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Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier
Sustainably certified SWNZ