Crossroads Chardonnay 2010

Crossroads Winery is a boutique winery founded in 1990 with a vision to produce iconic wines that would showcase the harmony of soil and climate in Hawke’s Bay. Located on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, Hawkes Bay is renowned for producing a diverse range of wines of the highest quality. For more than 100 years, Hawke’s Bay has been at the forefront of New Zealand wine production. Their Chardonnay has become known for its intensity of flavour and fine texture. Finesse and an easy style are qualities they strive for. Estate owned their cherished inland Kereru Road vineyard was again the mainstay of this year’s wine. The Crossroads home vineyard and one of their Gimblett Gravels vineyards provided smaller components adding detail and aroma to the wine. A winegrowing season is a series of weather events and conditions, no two seasons are ever the same. The best vintages see the bunches reach a balanced maturity, 2010 was one of these. A cooler flowering saw a reduced bunch count paving the way for concentrated berries. Over an even January and February the bunches gradually developed their fine flavour. The autumn arrival of warm, dry days took these vibrant aromas to new heights. Benefiting from extended maturation the fruit was harvested later this year, the whole bunches pressed to French oak for fermentation. The balance of new to old oak was carefully judged to allow the beautifully lifted aromas to really shine.