Reserve Chardonnay

Price: $68 per bottle

Slowly evolving over 10 months ageing in an ovoid concrete vat, our richly aromatic and distinctive Egg Chardonnay was assisted by the rotation of the earth and ever moving convection cur-rents. This maximised contact with yeast lees ensured an incredibly textural mouthfeel. A portion of the wine was fermented and aged in French oak for added complexity.

Lemon butter scallops, Freshly shucked oysters, Honey baked snapper, Goat’s cheese pasta salad with toasted almonds, Classic sole meunière

A remarkable season. A moderate spring with low frost risk and generally good flowering leading to an extremely dry and warm summer, recording above average temperatures in January and February before rainy weather came late Feb followed by humid conditions with heavy rainfall from March to May. The early varieties are fantastic with Chardonnay an impressive stand-out.

Price: $70 per bottle

Whole bunch pressed in a horizontal pneumatic press and slowly fermented in an ovoid concrete vat using a combination of indigenous and selected yeasts. A portion of the wine was fermented and aged in French oak with regular battonage for added complexity. Matured for 10 months with partial malolactic fermentation. The maximized contact with yeast lees ensured an incredibly textural mouthfeel.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls, White Fish Terrine with Salmon Roe and Dill, Rabbit Pate Campagne, Garlic Brandy Prawns, Veal Blanquette

One of the warmest seasons on record in Hawke’s Bay with heat accumulation 15% above the long term average. Rainfall was below average, but falls during the critical harvest period presented some challenges and careful fruit selection was rewarded. Fortunately due to the warm, very dry summer, a lot of the good work was done and the fruit was harvested in clean condition with good flavour ripeness and gentle acidity, producing well balanced, moderate alcohol wines.

Price: $70 per bottle

Whole bunch pressed in a horizontal pneumatic press and slowly fermented in an ovoid concrete vat using a combination of indigenous and selected yeasts. A portion of the wine was fermented and aged in French oak for added complexity. Matured for 18 months with partial malolactic fermentation. The maximised contact with yeast lees ensured an incredibly textural mouthfeel.

Cooked oysters with burnt butter, Creamy garlic scallops, Crispy skin John Dory, Warm goat’s cheese salad, Lemon poppy seed cake.

Following two very dry years, ground water stocks were replenished during quite a wet winter. Spring came early once again with a strong bud burst in late August. The period around flowering was warm, dry and settled with afternoon sea breezes keeping airflow in the canopy moving nicely. The fruit set very well, allowing us to sculpt the vines by removing fruit to create a very balanced crop load. With ground water supplies beginning to diminish the vines stretched out with strong canopy growth keeping the leaf removal team and vine trimmers busy. But, as veraison heralded the dry weather caught up and canopies slowed allowing nets to go on and fruit to ripen beautifully in the late summer sun. The hot, dry weather continued unabated allowing harvest to begin earlier than usual at the start of March.