The Boneline 2016 Barebone and Sharkstone Chardonnays and Cabernet Franc

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• The Boneline ‘Barebone’ Waipara Chardonnay 2016
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 28-Jun-2017

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, light straw-yellow colour with pale green hues. The nose is very fresh, elegant and tightly bound with aromas of white stonefruits, white florals, some mineral notes and nutty suggestions, along with hints of saline. This is pure and refreshing. Dry to taste and medium-full bodied, the palate is crisp and zesty with tight and finely concentrated white stonefruit flavours along with white florals, minerals and saline nuances. The mouthfeel is slippery and seamless with crisp acidity providing energy and finesse. The wine follows a light-textured phenolic line leading to a subtly flavoured, thirst-quenching, minerally finish. This is a fresh, taut, un-oaked Chardonnay with white stonefruit, mineral and stonefruit flavours on a slippery, crisp, fine-textured palate. Match with shellfish and seafood over the next 3-4 years. UCD Champagne and Mendoza clone fruit from ‘Block 4’ Glasnevin Gravels, vines 20-25 y.o., fermented in tank to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 10 months on lees with batonnage and no MLF, with no oak contact. 17.5/20 Jun 2017 RRP $20.00
• The Boneline ‘Sharkstone’ Waipara Chardonnay 2016
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 28-Jun-2017

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, very pale straw colour with slight green hues. The nose is elegantly concentrated and tightly bound with aromas of white and yellow stonefruts and subtle citrus fruit notes, complexed by creamy, waxy barrel-ferment notes and spicy, nutty oak with subtle lemon-curd MLF elements. This is very refined and grows in intensity with aeration. Medium-full bodied, the palate is finely concentrated and slender in proportion, with very good depth and intensity of vibrant stonefruit and citrus fruit flavours melded with creamy barrel-ferment, spicy and nutty oak and lemon-curd MLF detail. The wine has a very tight line enlivened by bright and zesty acidity and underlying power and drive carrying the flavours to a very long, lingering finish with citrus fruit and oak complexities. This is an elegantly concentrated, intense Chardonnay with bright citrussy fruit with creamy and nutty oak on a palate with energy, tension and linearity. Match with seafood, poultry and pork dishes over the next 4-5+ years. Mendoza clone fruit from the ‘Hellblock’ on silt and gravel loam, vines 20 y.o., fully indigenous yeast barrel-fermented to 14.0% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 22% new oak, the wine undergoing batonnage and 15% MLF. 18.5/20 Jun 2017 RRP $35.00
• The Boneline Waipara Cabernet Franc 2016
  Cabernet Franc from New Zealand - Canterbury & Waipara

  Review Date : 28-Jun-2017

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Very dark, near impenetrable black-hued purple-red colour, a little lighter on the rim, youthful in appearance. The nose is elegant in presentation with ripe and concentrated aromas of blackberries entwined with blackcurrants, black herbs and nuances of boysenberries and blueberries with hints of jam. This is sleek in proportion on the nose. Full-bodied, the palate has bright and lively, vibrantly sweet fruit flavours of ripe blackberries and blackcurrants, with notes of blackberry liqueur, boysenberries and jam elements. The mouthfeel is vigorous and lively and the wine follows a fine, grainy-structured line which allows the fruit richness to prevail. The wine has good acid energy and carries to a long, sweetly ripe, rich and juicy black-fruited finish. This is a rich and sweet-fruited Cabernet Franc with ripe flavours of blackberries, blackcurrants, boysenberries and hints of jam on a vigorous palate with good tannin structure and energy. Match with barbecued and roasted red meat dishes over the next 6 years. Fruit from ‘Block 1’ on silt and gravel loam, vines 26 y.o., fermented to 14.5% alc., the wine spending 40 days on skins and aged 10 months in 20% new oak. 18.0/20 Jun 2017 RRP $30.00