Mountford Chardonnay 2004 one of New Zealand's richest Chardonnays

Tasting Notes

5/24/08
The first thing that comes to mind is toasted nuts, blanched almonds maybe, but richer, leaning more towards hazel nut, then honeyed, poached pear, almost to fig and then some citrus lift and some lees as well as a buttered notion aromatically. This shows ripeness and weight with enough acidity to lengthen the palate and give the wine definition. Quite rich and broad in the palate, fuller bodied, but not excessively creamy in spite of its richness, with buttered nut flavors, honeyed, poached pear, peach and fig fruit, this has an intense attack on the taste buds with enough tactile freshness to keep this in the ball park. Some say Burgundy, and maybe in the Batard Montrachet league, but all in all, its definitively New World, rich and intense with a long lingering, clock me finish.

Awards, Reviews and other Notes

Michael Cooper: “Lush and opulent, with peachy, toasty flavors and a hint of butterscotch. It is one of the richest chardonnays in the country. 5 stars”

Winemaker Notes

Picked in middle of April. Whole bunch pressed on a champagne cycle. Fermented in partially filled French oak barrels. 35% new French oak was used. Aged on lees on barrels for 15 months, stirred occasionally. 100% underwent malolactic fermentation. Very lightly filtered with a coarse pad. Bottled on August 19th, 2004.

Chemical Analysis

Price

SKU

Varietal

Alcohol: 13.5%
pH: 3.4
Total Acid: 5.9 g/l
Residual Sugar 1.1 g/l
Free/Total Sulfur:60/20

$43.99

6358

Chardonnay