Babich Family Estates Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2010
This stylish Chardonnay is produced from premium grapes grown in the stony soils of our Irongate vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels region of Hawke’s Bay. These special deep gravel soils typically produce long lasting Chardonnays which are crisp and flinty on the palate.
Winemaker Notes
Region:
Hawke's Bay - Gimblett Gravels
Recommended Food:
Ideal with a wide variety of dishes. Try it with Chinese-style stir-fried chicken in a lemon-flavoured sauce, or with a rustic eggplant and capsicum terrine.
Recommended Cellaring: 2-4 years
Production Notes:
The grapes were grown on our Gimblett Gravels vineyard in the Hawke's Bay. They were harvested in late March 2010. A portion of the grapes were fermented with new French oak for added texture and complexity and the balance fermented in tank at relatively cool temperatures to capture the pure fruit characters of the variety. A small amount of wine was allowed to go through malo-lactic fermentation. After nine months the wines were blended and lightly fined before bottling.
Technical Notes:
Alcohol: 13.5%
TA: 6.7g/l
pH: 3.53
Residual Sugar: 2.9g/l
Tasting Notes:
This wine is abundantly perfumed displaying apricots, sweet pears, citrus and complex biscuity aromas. Notes of peach linger behind this initial bouquet. The palate is attractively layered. The peachy entry develops into the citrus spectrum of grapefruit, orange blossom and kaffir lime leaves. A touch of cedar and mineral essence add elegance. The texture is fleshy, creamy and rich and complemented by a medium to full weight. Lemon zest, mineral and spice linger on the finish. Overall this wine exhibits a great combination of flesh and texture and pleasing persistence.
Awards
SILVER MEDAL -Spiegelau International Wine Competition 2011
4 STARS, 17.5/20 -Raymond Chan, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, Jan, 2012
4 STARS, CONSUMERS CHOICE AWARD -TiZwine.com, Feb 2012
Wine Writer Reviews
"Mouthfilling, fresh and youthful. Dry and gently oaked, with citrusy, slightly minerally and buttery flavours, showing very good delicacy and depth. Best drinking mid-2012+."
-Winestate Magazine, July/August 2011
"Youthful, elegant, fruit-driven style with fresh, crisp peachy flavours, showing good depth, and a sensitive use of oak."
-Winestate Magazine, Sep/Oct 2011
"Fruit from the ‘Gimblett Gravels’ vineyard, a portion fermented in new French oak, the remainder in tank to 13.5% alc., with blending after 9 months, a small amount undergoing MLF. Brilliant straw-yellow colour with light golden hues, pale on rim. The bouquet is elegant in proportion, showing ripe yellow stonefruit aromas with notes of butter and minerals with flinty elements quite harmoniously interwoven and integrated. Medium-bodied, this has a gently concentrated core of yellow nectarine-like fruit flavours which unfold to reveal buttery MLF and nutty, toasty oak notes. A little alcohol warmth is present and combines well with the creamy barrel-ferment textures. The acidity is restrained, and the wine is beginning to become rounded in mouthfeel. Subtle, nuanced flavours of fruit and oak are sustained on the long finish. This Chardonnay has begun to develop subtle layers of interest and is softening. Drink with pan-fried fish and roasted poultry or pork over the next 3-4 years."
17.5/20
4 STARS
-Raymond Chan, www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz, Jan, 2012
"Fermented in tanks (mostly) and casks, this is designed as a fruit-driven style. The 2010 vintage is mouthfilling, fresh and youthful. Dry, with citrusy, slightly minerally and buttery flavours, showing a sensitive use of oak, it has very good delicacy and depth. Best drinking mid-2012+."
-Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines 2012
"Vibrant stone fruit with hints of smokey bacon on the nose. Palate displays paches and nectarines with a hint of nougat and bold but integrated oak. The crisp acidity cuts nicely through the flavours to create a rich and powerful wine."
4 STARS
CONSUMERS CHOICE AWARD
-TiZwine.com, Feb 2012
"Excellent quince and apple characters mingle with the oak, acid and malo."
-Winestate Magazine, March/April 2012
"Peter, Joe, Maureen and David Babich – and the rest of the family-owned winery clan – have released this new single vineyard Hawke’s Bay chardonnay as a bridge between their entry priced and top wines; it’s a sensational full bodied white with all the bells of whistles of top chardonnay."
-Joelle Thomson, Dominion Post, May 2012
Unscrewed: Video Review (click to view)
-Jason Bryant, July, 2011
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