Stoneleigh Marlborough Chardonnay CONFIRM VINTAGE

Chardonnay Marlborough New Zealand
The unique terrains upon which the Stoneleigh Vineyards lie, impart distinctive qualities into the wines. Located on the northern side of Wairau Valley, in close proximity to Marlborough's main river, the growers have established sites on deep, infertile gravel beds, covered by smooth sunstones. These polished stones reflect the sun's heat during the day, assisting ripening, whilst radiating heat throughout the cool of night. True to the Stoneleigh style, this classic, elegant Chardonnay delivers bright varietal fruit and captures the essence of Marlborough.
Marlborough's Rapaura soils are geologically young and based on river silts and stones. The effects of sun and soil are retained throughout the vinification to produce a wine with its own unique sense of place. Chardonnay clones Mendoza, 6, 95 and 15 are harvested at the peak of intensity. Only the first cut pressings are included for a course of oak barrel and fermenters. Most of the wine completes malolactic to lower acidity and add textural creaminess. Batches are lees stirred several months and fined using low rates of isinglass before a final assemblage based on palate freshness and softness. Most components are matured in a mix of French and Hungarian oak barriques or larger format vats. Alcohol 13.7%
Light straw colour. Stoneleigh exudes intense white stonefruit aromatics in balance with toasty barrel notes. Bouquets of peaches and nectarine with hints of grapefruit and citrus, overlaid by sweet toasty oak. The palate is soft, exhibiting good textural weight, balancing fruit with the creaminess of barrel ferment and lees ageing. The richness is balanced by a backbone of acidity leaving the palate with lifted clean fruit flavours.
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Stoneleigh
The dedicated vignerons of the Stoneleigh team work closely with the Stoneleigh winemakers to develop perfectly balanced, ripe flavoursome fruit unique to the Rapaura region of Marlborough

Not only is Stoneleigh recognised in New Zealand for its consistent production of premium quality wines but now the rest of the world is catching on. Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc keeps reinforcing its presence in key overseas markets. The wine has recently been listed at the world-renowned Ritz Hotel in London. Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc is being poured over the very chic art deco Rivoli Bar, and has been included on the hotel's wine list. In addition, Stoneleigh has recently become the top selling NZ Sauvignon Blanc across the Tasman; Australian's just cannot get enough of this superior Sauvignon Blanc.

Stoneleigh

Stoneleigh offers a range of premium quality wines with distinctly Marlborough flavours - refreshing and pure. Stoneleigh winemaker, Jamie Marfell says "Stoneleigh's unique infertile and free draining stony soils have combined with Marlborough's high annual sunshine hours and crisp coastal climate, to create a world-renowned terroir and microclimate." Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vines can all be found on the Stoneleigh vineyard and the site is home to some of the oldest grafted Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc blocks in Marlborough. Some blocks of these varieties are now over 20 years old. The Stoneleigh vineyards support environmentally sustainable practices and are part of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand.

On the site of a former riverbed at the northern side of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley in New Zealand, the Stoneleigh range takes it name from the abundance of stones that cover the area. The exceptional quality of the wines owes much to these stones. These stones reflect heat up onto the vines enhancing the ripening process and within the soil create the ideal growing environment. Located in the heart of Rapaura area and the locally known Golden Mile of vineyards the Stoneleigh Vineyard,178 ha, is on the northern side of the Wairau Valley, within 2 km of the Wairau River and the Richmond Ranges. The vineyard has a range of soil types but includes more of the typically stony and recent riverbed soils.

Stoneleigh's award winning history came into being after only a decade of winemaking at the Marlborough estate. Stoneleigh Marlborough Chardonnay 1996 was named White Wine of the Year at the 1998 International Wine Challenge in London. This highly prestigious accolade was followed by two successive vintages of Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc collecting Best Buy recommendations from Wine Spectator USA. the run of shw successes continued when Stoneleigh Marlborough Riesling 1999 collected Gold at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, and sibling Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Noir 1999 claimed Silver, at the same event.

Stoneleigh

Stoneleigh Rapaura Series Marlborough Chardonnay 1999 won a highly prestigious Blue-Gold Medal at the Sydney International Wine Challenge and Gold Merdal at Intervin. Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2000, followed up with a stunning Gold Medal win, Champion Sauvignon Blanc Trophy and Champion Commercial White Wine Trophy at the Air New Zealand Awards. The same wine also claimed Gold at New Zealand’s Liquorland Top 100 competition. The lineage of highly acclaimed releases have continued, the Rapaura Series Marlborough Pinot Gris claimed another Blue-Gold and Top 100 Award for Stoneleigh at the Sydney International Wine Competition.

The Stoneleigh winemaking style is a direct reflection of the unique characteristics of the terroir. Winemaker Jamie Marfell, aims to maximise these unique flavours inherent in the fruit and deliver a wine of exquisite quality and style. The unique stony free draining alluvial soils, together with the slightly warmer climatic conditions of the Rapaura area, produces fruit that ripens earlier than other regions of Marlborough. These grapes have a ripe fruit spectrum which is distinctive in style and quality compared with grapes from other parts of Marlborough and New Zealand.

A minimalist winemaking approach is carried through all stages of winemaking and only subtle intervention is employed to add complexity and enhance the fruit’s unique characteristics. By only using premium juice, the wine has concentrated flavour, finesse and bright fruit expression. The yeast selected for fermentation is chosen to complement and lift the expression of terrior. Finally, the wines are very lightly fined before bottling to give clarity of flavour and style. And the result - aromatic, elegant Marlborough wines that are a true expression of their terroir.

Stoneleigh