Jules Taylor OTQ Single Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2017

Jules Taylor OTQ Single Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2017"Very distinctive, classic bouquet of Chardonnay with ripe yellow stone fruit aromas melding into aromas of sweet new oak laced with wood spices and toast, a lees component adds complexity and intrigue, a bold and forward package with obvious complexity. Dry, full bodied and fruity, a wine that packs a punch as it hits the palate displaying some attractive, classic and bold Chardonnay flavours. Peach and nectarine, vanilla, butterscotch and toasty

"Very distinctive, classic bouquet of Chardonnay with ripe yellow stone-fruit aromas melding into aromas of sweet new oak laced with wood spices and toast, a lees component adds complexity and intrigue, a bold and forward package with obvious complexity. Dry, full-bodied and fruity, a wine that packs a punch as it hits the palate displaying some attractive, classic and bold Chardonnay flavours. Peach and nectarine, vanilla, butterscotch and toasty wood, medium+ acidity and alcohol, rich and lengthy finish. Lots to like about this wine. Drink now and through 2024" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

"A wealth of toasty and buttery aromas leading to a palate that has a strong core of concentrated, ripe peaches and sweetly spiced biscuit complexity through the finish. Drink now" James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

"Full, even, bright, light straw-yellow colour with lemon-gold hues, lighter on the rim. The nose is full, broad and deep with aromas of white stonefruits melded with a layering of gunflint sulphide reduction, unfolding nutty, toasty and smoky oak detail. The nose possesses freshness and vitality. Medium-full bodied, the palate has a rich heart with flavours of white stonefruits interwoven with gunflinty reduction with nutty oak, unfolding rich toasty and smoky elements. The fruit is lively and vibrant, and the mouthfeel refreshing with lacy acidity. The wine carries along a fine-textured line leading to a long and sustained finish of flint, nuts, smoke and minerals. This is a rich and vibrant Chardonnay with stonefruit, gunflint, nuts and toasty oak with fine structure and a fresh mouthfeel. Serve with poultry, pork and veal over the next 4 years. Hand-picked fruit from the ‘Meadowbank’ vineyard, Taylors Pass, WBP and fully barrel-fermented by indigenous yeasts to 13.29% alc., the wine aged 10 months in 35% new French oak with batonnage and 100% MLF" Raymond Chan, Aug 2018

This wine has a luscious golden hue tinged with a hint of green. The wine shows concentrated notes of stone-fruits and citrus, which combine with smokey reductive tones that compliment the underlying nutty butter notes. A composed and elegant Chardonnay, offering excellent fruit intensity and a creamy texture. Stonefruits are layered with definitive nutty burnt butter tones from the toasty oak. Brilliantly structured with bright acidity this wine is complex and powerful, with a harmonious finish.

The growing season began with very little frost pressure and a fairly even bud-burst throughout the Taylor Pass sub-region, providing brilliant early flowering conditions for this block of Mendoza Chardonnay. Post bud-burst, the temperature tended to fluctuate, the warm weather encouraged the vines to grow vigorously but cooler periods suppressed growth. The early flowering period was cooler causing severe ‘Hen and Chicken’ in the Mendoza clone, the weather during mid-late flowering was much better giving an enhanced finish to flowering. Veraison came on fast for the Chardonnay and was very even, post this for the months of January and February the weather was much warmer than pre-veraison, and due to the number of small berries in a bunch, ripening was rapid. Late March, when the fruit tasted incredible with powerful intensity of flavour, Jules made the call to harvest and the fruit was hand-picked before the rain events.

The grapes for this Chardonnay were grown in the Meadowbank Estate Vineyard in the Taylor Pass subregion. This particular block, settled in this picturesque vineyard, was carefully hand managed to provide low-yield, high quality crop. Late March after the fruit was hand-picked, Jules took the fruit to the winery where she whole bunch pressed it to provide the juice with perfect clarity. It then underwent a warm wild fermentation in French oak, to give it some extra character. Following the wild fermentation Jules put the wine through a full malolactic fermentation in order to soften the acid profile and add additional layers of complexity. With extended time on lees and stirring in barrel, she then left the wine in oak to mature for 10 months. Just prior to the 2018 vintage, the wine was removed from oak, stabilised and bottled.

The OTQ Series is a pure expression of Jules’ winemaking skills and her vision to create wines which speak of their place. Selected bunches of fruit from Meadowbank Estate were hand harvested, fermented with indigenous yeast and aged in French oak barrels. The resultant wine exhibits elegant and rich with stone-fruits tied harmoniously with tones of intense patisserie and toasty oak, held together with brilliant acids and a medium to full body.

On the Quiet - Secret squirrel and hard to get your hands on, these drops are pure indulgence. Crafted to challenge the conventional winemaking interpretations of Marlborough’s signature varieties, Jules Taylor’s OTQ wines are getting louder every day.

Food Pairing: Complimented by poultry based dishes also, crayfish and other rich white seafoods.