Isabel Estate Chardonnay 2016

NOSE
Complex aromas – ‘sweet nuttiness’, ripe figs and a touch of melon followed by nougat, caramel and a creamy richness.

PALATE
Exudes bright, ripe fruit with upfront acidity. Mid palate displays elegant flavours of white peach and almond biscotti – complimented by our distinctive minerality, the hallmark of Isabel; this is wine of great depth, richness and texture.

VARIETAL Chardonnay Clones: Mendoza
REGION Marlborough

New Zealand's wine of the year is Chardonnay

Posted by: Alana House November 29, 2017

Is this proof chardonnay is well and truly back on the map?
New Zealand - the home of some of the world's best sauvignon blancs - has handed the trophy for Wine of Show at the 2017 Air New Zealand Wine Awards to Isabel Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2016.
This is the first time in 23 years that a Marlborough Chardonnay has won a Champion Wine of Show trophy.
Isabel Estate is a pioneering winery in Marlborough and one of the original vineyards having planted their first vines in 1980. Crafted by Chief Winemaker Jeremy McKenzie the Chardonnay is made from fruit 100% grown and bottled within the boundaries of the estate.
McKenzie said: “This is the pinnacle of success for Isabel Estate and something we are enormously proud of. Achieving recognition amongst such a large pool of New Zealand competitors truly shows the quality of our wines. I would like to pay special mention to our small and dedicated team who are instrumental in this success. It’s a small, humble, hands-on crew with a lot of fight.
“We have recognised for some time now how strong a site Isabel Estate is for Chardonnay and over the past three years we have been quietly perfecting it. The Isabel Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 exhibits the power and vibrancy that are the hallmarks of world class Chardonnay and is a wine of outstanding quality and character.
“We are thrilled that it has won top honours in a competition of this calibre. This is testament to the quality of fruit that we are able to grow from a single vineyard site and demonstrates our philosophy of respecting the soil where the grapes grow and allowing the unique characters of each vineyard and variety to be expressed in the final wine.
“Isabel Estate has now been well and truly positioned at the top of Marlborough’s wineries.”
Isabel Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 was one of 1300 wines entered in the competition and according to Chair of Judges Warren Gibson the wine was a very classy example of the Chardonnay in this year’s competition.
“The Isabel Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 won by a big margin and was world class and well made," he said. "The wine got through to the trophy judging stage and it was a clear winner by some distance. It’s packed with flavour but still maintains a remarkable lightness on its feet.”
The Air New Zealand Wine Awards is New Zealand’s most respected wine competition, recognising excellence in winemaking. The competition is owned and organised by New Zealand Winegrowers, the national organisation for the country’s 1600 grape growers and winemakers.
Isabel Estate wines are available at Dan Murphy’s www.danmurphys.com.au and BWS www.bws.com.au stores nationally. Isabel Estate is fully owned by Pinnacle Drinks, who are owned by Endeavour Drinks Group. Pinnacle purchased the Isabel Estate brand and the estate in late 2014 and since then has sought to keep the brand and its estate grown and bottled heritage intact. The Isabel Estate Chardonnay 2016 is priced at $35 RRP.

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