Esk Valley Artisanal Collection Hawkes Bay Albariño 2022

This wine reveals classic Albarino notes of lime, peach and an assortment of tropical fruits. It is full and rich with mouthwatering acidity providing length and deliciousness with the palate weight enhanced by ageing on yeast lees. It is delicious as a young wine but will gain some complexity with time in the bottle. It is the perfect accompaniment to seafood dishes.

The Albarino plantings are located on the upper of the two gravel river terraces formed by the Ngaruroro River. Two clones of Albarino from both Spain and Portugal are planted, with each providing its own distinctive characteristics. Planted in 2018, these vines are intensively managed and yields kept low in the pursuit of quality wine.

It was a challenging vintage to navigate in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne with frequent rain through February and March. The summer started hot, with very settled weather around the Christmas period before the wetter late summer arrived. The fruit was often picked at relatively low sugar levels however the hot summer delivered excellent flavour ripeness. The aromatic wines look very good, particularly Rose and Albarino.

Lightly pressed and settled overnight, the free run juice was run to a mix of large format oak barrels and small tanks for fermentation with both wild and cultured yeast strains. The tank fermented portion was stopped with a small amount of residual sugar to add balance to the final blend. The wine was aged on its full lees with regular stirring until being blended and bottled.