Tasting notes

Aromas of freshly baked biscotti, straight from theoven ... grapefruit and lemon peel, roasted Brazil nut and dried figs. Derived from a combination of Burgundian winemaking style and vibrant Marlborough fruit, the palate is chalky in texture and the flavours deliciously refined, with hints of baked apple over flinty yeast characters. The Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2001 is impeccably balanced and shows potential to age gracefully for at least the next five years.

Rating

Wine Spectator 89 points (Jan 1 2005) Spicy, toasty aromas and flavors prevail in this crisp Chardonnay, hinting at pepper and lime as the creamy finish persists nicely. Drink now through 2008. 2,000 cases imported. –HS

Technical notes

The chardonnay grapes, eighty percent the low yielding Mendoza clone, twenty percent UCD6, were harvested from ten estate and grower vineyards located in the Wairau Valley of Marlborough. Soils vary from the silty gravels found in Rapaura to the fine silty loams of Renwick and the Brancott Valley. The vineyards are planted at a density of 1,850 vines per hectare and all vines are trained to the Scott Henry trellis system. The average yield in 2001 was 7.1 tonnes per hectare.