Stanley Estates 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino and ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Stanley Estates ‘Single Vineyard’ Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017
  Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 30-Jun-2018

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, pale straw-yellow colour with slight green hues, lighter on the rim. The nose is elegant and taut in concentration with classical cool-spectrum aromas of nettles, cut grass and green capsicums, with subtle herb and passionfruit notes, forming a fine core with mineral nuances. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has tightly bound, but intense flavours of cut-grass, nettles and fresh herbs along with nuances of passionfruit and minerals. The mouthfeel is steely and racy with brisk acidity, and the wine flows along a slender line, leading to a lingering finish of herbs, grass and capsicums. This is cool-spectrum Sauvignon Blanc with nettle, cut grass, mineral and passionfruit flavours on a crisp, zesty palate. Serve with Pacific Rim fare over the next 2 years. Estate fruit, cool-fermented in stainless-steel to 13.0% alc. 16.5+/20 Jul 2018 RRP $22.99
• Stanley Estates ‘Single Vineyard’ Awatere Valley Marlborough Albarino 2017
  Other White from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 30-Jun-2018

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, even, light straw-yellow colour with lemon hues. The nose is well-proportioned and elegantly packed with dense aromas of white stonefruits, nutty elements and flinty lees, along with subtle notes of white florals and saline suggestions. The aromatics are restrained in expression. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has subtle flavours of white stonefruits melded with nutty and flinty lees complexities, unfolding white floral, mineral and saline nuances. The mouthfeel is soft and has a suggestion of unctuousness and some underlying power, with soft, lacy acidity providing balance and energy. The wine flows to a gentle finish. This is a restrained, dry Albarino with white stonefruit flavours and complexing nutty detail on a rounded palate. Match with Asian fare over the next 2-3 years. Estate fruit from vines planted in 2009, 60% fermented in stainless-steel and 40% indigenous yeast fermented in seasoned oak to 13.0% alc. and 2.9 g/L RS, TA 6.9 g/L and pH 3.3, the wine undergoing plenty of batonnage, the oaked portion spending 10 months in barrel. 17.0/20 Jul 2018 RRP $22.99
• Stanley Estates ‘Reserve’ ‘Single Vineyard’ Awatere Valley Marlborough Chardonnay 2017
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Marlborough

  Review Date : 30-Jun-2018

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright straw-yellow colour with lemon-gold hues, lighter on the edge. The nose is fresh and vibrant with aromas of citrus fruits and yellow stonefruits entwined with creamy barrel-ferment and nutty oak integrated with some lemon-curd MLF. The aromatics are refreshing and steely, and retain a degree of slenderness. Medium-bodied, the palate has an elegant, positive core of citrus and yellow stonefruits along with some creamy oak and nutty lees melded with a little lemon-curd MLF. The fruit has richness and is balanced by crisp, lacy acidity. The wine has good energy, line and tension, and carries to a long and sustained finish. This is a crisp, elegant Chardonnay with complex flavours of citrus and stonefruits, oak, lees and MLF with some richness. Serve with grilled and roasted seafood, poultry and pork over the next 3-4 years. Fruit from the company’s ‘Little Oasis’ block, vines planted in 2002, fully indigenous yeast barrel-fermented with full solids to 13.4% alc., the wine aged 11 months in 20% new oak, with plenty of batonnage and 100% MLF. 128 cases made. 18.0/20 Jul 2018 RRP $27.99