SERESIN Chardonnay 2015

Sourced from their clay-rich vineyards in the center of the Omaka Valley , the vines benefit from high sunlight and minimal rainfall and are grown using organic and biodynamic principles. The grapes are harvested by hand and only the clean bunches are picked. The fruits are delicately pressed into whole clusters. The juice is separated into several batches. A first part macerates cold for 24 hours then transferred to French oak barrels with its fine lees. The other part remains in stainless steel tanks. All these batches ferment patiently in their containers using native yeasts . After 10 months on lees , the batches are assembled and filtered before bottling. Of the portion of wine spent in oak barrels, the final blend includes 5% new oak and 95% barrels from 2nd, 3rd and 4th use. Very balanced and elegant, the wine presents complex aromas of white flowers , white peach , nectarine , pear , lemon peel , grapefruit , green apple , flint , toasted almond as well as fine notes pastry and woody. The acidity is firm and linear, providing the backbone to the roundness of the wine and extending into a long, fragrant finish. It is a wine that is both structured and complex, yet delicate and graceful.

Introduced in 1819, vine growing was greatly developed by Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, a French Marist missionary. Sent to Oceania in 1837, he settled there from January 1838 onwards to develop New Zealand's vineyards. The first quality vineyards were established in the Hawke's Bay region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After setbacks caused first by phylloxera and then by the First World War, the vineyards began to expand again during the Second World War, when their area doubled.



Today, New Zealand has 10 main wine regions spread across the North and South Islands, the largest of which is Marlborough. Most of New Zealand's wine regions have a maritime climate. The country's long, narrow shape means that vineyards are never more than 120 km from the coast, and most are much closer than that (with the exception of the semi-continental Central Otago region). A spine of mountains running down the centre of the country shields most of the main wine regions from the strong westerly winds off the Tasman Sea known as the "Roaring Forties". Because of these winds, there are few wine regions on New Zealand's west coast.



The quality and reputation of New Zealand wines are well established. Indeed, the country produces some of the best and most renowned Sauvignon Blanc in the world. And it is no coincidence that New Zealand has made Sauvignon Blanc its emblem, just like its sheep, its kiwis and its legendary haka!