2010 Sacred Hill "Rifleman" Chardonnay Hawkes Bay New Zealand

SKU #1110119 92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 A single vineyard wine of 100% Mendoza clone Chardonnay, the Rifleman’s Chardonnay was not produced in 2008. The 2009 Rifleman’s Chardonnay comes from a hot, low yielding vintage with only about 350 cases made (some years up to 750 can be produced). It offers pronounced aromas of white peaches, guava, cream, nuts and meal with touches of ginger and toasty cedar. Rich, ripe and full bodied, the mouth-feel is very silky. It has a good backbone of refreshing acidity and a long tropical fruit laced finish. Drink it now to 2016+.  (10/ 2011)

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Price: $39.99

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By: Ryan Woodhouse |  K&L Staff Member  |  Review Date: 11/26/2012  | Send Email
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From the Rifleman’s Vineyard on the Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay. Fermented in French oak barrels with all wild yeast. This is a powerful Chardonnay. Concentrated peach and tropical fruits, toasty oak and spice. A big rich wine with a firm backbone of great acidity tying it all together. World class Chardonnay.
Drink from 2012 to 2018

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Chardonnay

- It's hard to believe that up until about 30 years ago, this extremely popular varietal hid behind the veil of geographical names like Chablis and Puligny-Montrachet. Now grown all over the world and bottled by its varietal name, Chardonnay has achieved a level of branding unlike any other wine. Surprisingly, though, what you get when you buy Chardonnay can differ greatly from country to country and even within one country, depending on the climate where it's grown and how it is vinified and aged. From fresh, crisp and minerally with apple and lemon notes to rich and buttery with tropical fruit overtones, Chardonnay runs the gamut. In France's Burgundy, Chardonnay is the source of the prized wines of Chablis, Corton-Charlemagne, Mâcon, Meursault and Montrachet. It also the foundation of exceptional Champagne, where it is blended with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier or vinified on its own into Blanc de Blancs. It is also extremely popular in California, and is gaining popularity in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and South Africa.
Country:

New Zealand

- A Southern Pacific island 1,000 miles from the nearest land-mass (Australia), New Zealand has a maritime climate, suitable for wine production of excellent quality. For better or worse, this was discovered by New Zealand agriculturalists relatively recently (end of the 20th century), thus the wine industry is virtually brand new. Although most influenced by Australian academia, New Zealand's wine industry has begun to adopt many European and California viticultural and enological practices. Although the New Zealand wine biz is known most for its Sauvignon Blanc, the most planted variety is Chardonnay, with Pinot Noir gaining in popularity. Click for a list of bestselling items from New Zealand.