Isabel Estate

Aratoro Marlborough Chardonnay

Isabel Estate is one of the original Marlborough vineyards and boasts some of the oldest vines in the region with wines 100% grown and bottled within the boundaries of the estate. There is a focus on small batch winemaking, giving greater options at blending and helping to create complex wines with a sense of place. Aratoro (meaning 'path of discovery') is Isabel Estate's top tier range. This single vineyard wine is crafted from some of the oldest vines on the Isabel Estate vineyard. The naturally low yielding vines provide fruit with great concentration and acidity. The hand picked fruit was whole bunch pressed to gently extract the juice without phenolic pick up. A short cold settle period followed before the wine was transferred to French oak barrels for fermentation. The result is a powerful and complex wine displaying notes of gunsmoke, white peach, and nectarine, with hints of lemon and lime. The palate shows roasted almond and brioche notes with an underlying grapefruit citrus note giving the wine length and vibrancy. Mineral, linear, lengthy and fine acidity carries the wine and gives this very special single vineyard wine great ageability.