2020 Mottiar Chardonnay

Michael Pinkus Rating: **** "Very Good"

John Szabo, MS  - 91 Points

Winemaker's Notes:

A vivid assortment rich scents recalls Granny Smith Apple, almond, pear, tropical pineapple and coconut, vanilla bean and a dash of sea spray.  A taste finds tangy bursts of baked apple, Key Lime pie, lemon zest, starfruit and apricot, leaving a bright, tropical-citrus finish.  Focused fruit and sprightly acidity keep the sensation clean and nimble throughout.

Hand-picked from the Mottiar Vineyard on October 5th at 21.3° Brix average grape sugar.

The grapes were whole-cluster pressed, after which the chardonnay juice fermented using spontaneous yeast in neutral (4 to 8-year-old) French oak barrels.  During eight months on the lees, one-third of the wine completed malolactic conversion. 

125 cases were bottled in July 2020.  Enjoy now through 2028.

Dry: 0 g/L residual sugar

At the time of bottling, alcohol measured 12.5%, residual sugar 0 grams per litre, titratable acidity 7.9 grams per litre and pH 3.18.

Vegan friendly.           

Companion Foods:

Serve near 10° C with generously flavoured and textured foods such as crispy-skinned roast chicken, turkey pot pie, halibut in a buttery sauce or pumpkin ravioli.

John Szabo, MS - WIneAlign.com   - 91 Points
All barrel fermented. 12% alc. Tightly wound on the nose, with creamy pear and apple fruit, fullish, fruity palate, with underpinning oyster shell flavours. A more immediately appealing edition of the Mottiar, enjoyable now, though surely comfortable in the cellar another half dozen years. Nicely balanced. Tasted August 2022  

Michael Pinkus Rating: **** "Very Good"
Buttery and spicy notes lead things off with nice acidity and a lingering finish taking it to the end.  There's also a lovely creamy mid, some pear skin notes and some spiced green apple on the finish.