De La Terre Barrique Ferment Chardonnay 2023

De La Terre Barrique Ferment Chardonnay
This textural, food-focused Chardonnay comes from Tony and Kaye Prichard's earth-brick winery on the Taihape Road out of Hastings, Hawke's Bay. Hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, it ferments entirely in European oak barriques, mostly French with a portion of Hungarian, chosen mainly from three and four year old barrels so the oak lends structure rather than overt toastiness. Extended time on full lees, with regular stirring, builds the savoury layers this style is known for. The result is a wine built around mouthfeel and texture as much as fruit, designed to sit comfortably alongside a meal rather than stand apart from it.

What the winery says:
Light golden in colour, the wine shows clear stonefruit Chardonnay character on the nose with a touch of citrus, layered with lightly toasted French oak and yeast-derived notes. The palate opens clean and fresh before tightening through a linear mid-palate, with lively fruit flavours carried by the oak and lees influence, finishing long with citrus notes emerging at the end. Winemaker Tony Prichard ferments in mostly older barriques rather than new oak, using cloudy, unsettled juice and partial malolactic fermentation to build texture and savoury complexity rather than obvious oak flavour. The wine is estate bottled, hand-labelled and individually hand-numbered. Best enjoyed at room temperature over the next three to four years.