Mahi Single Vineyard Alchemy Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 $39.90
Hands up who loves their chardonnay to unleash smoke signals and roasty, toasty, nutty notes on the nose and palate? Well this new release from Brian Bicknell and his team at Mahi will have you reaching for superlatives in seconds flat. Using fruit sourced from a small parcel from the stony, Taylor vineyard, where a mixture of three clones, MVIG1, 15 and 95, were hand harvested, whole cluster pressed and the high-solids juice (that’s where the smoky, struck match aromatics come from) was poured straight into French barriques for a wild yeast ferment. The wine stayed in those barrels for 15 months until Brian felt the balance had been hit, then it was bottled and rested for another 6 months before release. It’s a highly complex wine with underlying notes of grilled grapefruit, white pepper, popcorn and toasted crumpet characters. Crying out for tarragon roast chicken, it’s a must for the cellar of any chardonnay lover.
www.mahiwine.co.nz
