Esk Valley Great Dirt Seabed Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2019

Esk Valley Great Dirt Seabed Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2019French oak White peach Grilled nuts Creamy mouthfeel "The debut 2019 vintage (5*) is a striking, single vineyard wine. Made to celebrate the "unique saline nature of the site", it was grown at the edge of the former Ahuriri Estuary, lifted by the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. From vines planted in 1999, it was fermented and matured for 18 months in French oak barriques (35 per cent new). Bright, light lemon green, with a slightly smoky bouquet, it is

• French oak
• White peach
• Grilled nuts
• Creamy mouthfeel

"The debut 2019 vintage (5*) is a striking, single-vineyard wine. Made to celebrate the "unique saline nature of the site", it was grown at the edge of the former Ahuriri Estuary, lifted by the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. From vines planted in 1999, it was fermented and matured for 18 months in French oak barriques (35 per cent new). Bright, light lemon/green, with a slightly smoky bouquet, it is fresh and mouthfilling, with very intense, stone-fruit flavours, integrated toasty oak, a slightly salty streak and good acid spine. Already drinking superbly, it's well worth cellaring" Michael Cooper

"Immensely complex and enticing, the wine shows nectarine, lemon peel, vanilla and roasted cashew characters with nuances of oatmeal and gun smoke. The concentrated palate delivers excellent persistency and multi-layered mouthfeel, finishing impressively long and refined. At its best: 2022 to 2030" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jun 2021

"There’s no mistaking the raw energy, youth, oak and power of the bouquet this wine offers. Aromas of new wood and baked apple, white and yellow peaches with raw brown sugar and quince. A hard clay, hard stone mineral layer brings depth and complexity. Equally powerful on the palate with a core of stone fruit and oak, warming alcohol and medium+ acidity. There’s no mistaking this wine is young and needs time to settle, develop and find its feet, which it will. Is best left in your cellar till late 2022, but can also be enjoyed earlier with food - perhaps smoked salmon pizza or a creamy pasta with pine nuts in the mix" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

This is an full bodied and creamy textured chardonnay which displays complex flavours of white peach, grilled nuts and grapefruit with a long salty mineral finish. Made with a hands off approach it is a complex and ageworthy wine which showcases the land in which it is grown. Suitable for plant based diets.

This single vineyard wine is sourced from Brian and Leslie Howard’s Bay View vineyard. Situated at the western edge of Bay View Village, the soils here reflect their maritime origin. Prior to the 1931 Napier earthquake this was a tidal estuary where the Esk River met the Ahuriri inner harbour, the land now drained still retains remants of its past with seashell deposits interspersed throughout the maritime clays. Planted in 1998 the vineyard is dry farmed and intensively managed to produce fruit of the highest quality.

The fruit was handpicked and chilled overnight before being loaded as whole clusters into the press and run directly to barrel for fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Once dry a portion was allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation to lower acidity and add complexity to the finished wine. The winethen underwent extended barrel ageing with occasional lee’s stirring before blending and bottling without finings in September 2020.