The Pilot by Alpha Domus 2015 Chardonnay and Leonarda Late Harvest

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• The Pilot by Alpha Domus Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2015
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 22-Feb-2018

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, light golden-yellow colour with some depth, a little lighter on the rim, with slight green hues.  This has a full nose with ripe fruit aromas of citrus fruit melded with savoury nutty and toasty oak, creamy barrel-ferment elements and a layering of buttery MLF.  Medium-bodied, the palate has full and up-front flavours of ripe citrus and tropical fruit along with nutty, toasty oak and butterscotch MLF.  The mouthfeel is rounded with broad, mouthfilling flavours underlined by fresh acidity.  The wine flows with good energy and linearity to a long, lingering finish of exotic fruits, toast and butterscotch.  This is an up-front and full-flavoured Chardonnay with rich citrus and tropical fruits, along with nutty oak, creamy and buttery MLF and a thread of cutting acidity.  Match with roasted pork over the next 3 years.  Clones 15, 6 and Mendoza fruit, fermented to 12.5% alc., the wine aged 6 months on lees with batonnage and given oak contact, undergoing full MLF.  18.0-/20  Feb 2018  RRP $20.00 Bright, even yellow colour with pale gold hues, a little lighter on the edge. The nose is softly full, with up-front and well-packed aromas of ripe yellow stonefruits and citrus fruit with nutty lees and oak notes, unfolding creamy and lanolin elements. Medium-bodied, the palate is up-front with flavours of ripe yellow stonefruits and citrus fruits entwined with nutty lees and oak notes. The fruit recedes as the wine flows along a light, grainy-textured phenolic line with integrated acidity, carrying to a light, lingering finish of stonefruits and nuts. This is an up-front, ripe, yellow stonefruited Chardonnay with nutty oak and lees notes, and a light, textured line. Match with poultry and pork dishes over the next 3+ years. Clones 15, 6 and Mendoza fruit, fermented to 12.5% alc., the wine aged 6 months on lees with batonnage and given oak contact. 17.0+/20 May 2017 RRP $20.00
• The Pilot by Alpha Domus ‘Leonarda’ Hawke’s Bay Late Harvest 2015
  Sweet Wine from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 23-May-2017

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, even, light golden-yellow colour with some depth, a little lighter on the edge. The nose is taut and tightly bound with aromas of ripe tropical fruits along with caramel, honey and marmalade, lifted by some volatility, unfolding some musky detail. This has a firm core with an underlying steeliness. Very sweet to taste, the palate has a tight and firm core of tropical fruits and caramel, melded with honey, marmalade and hints of musk. The palate has good presence with the richness balanced by light, drying phenolic textures, the acidity integrated and soft. The fruit and botrytis flavours carry with positive linearity, leading to a tight, lingering finish of tropical fruits, honey, musk and grassy suggestions. This is a firm and taut botrytised wine with tropical fruit, caramel, honey and musk with moderate richness. Match with fruit and baked desserts over the next 3+ years. Botrytis-affected Semillon and Viognier fruit fermented in stainless-steel to 11.5% alc. and 121 g/L RS. (375 ml) 16.5+/20 May 2017 RRP $20.00