Blank Canvas Escaroth Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
Grapes for this Blank Canvas wine are sourced from the Escaroth Vineyard, a special one-hectare parcel of Chardonnay that is perched on a high, north-facing slope in the Southern Valleys’ Taylor Pass subregion. The vines were originally planted in 2000 and are now established as a dry-farmed block. The Chardonnay was gently whole-bunch pressed with the very cloudy free-run juice only going to new and seasoned French oak puncheons (500L) with approximately 50% new oak. It started fermentation with ambient yeast and was left to complete both primary and natural malolactic fermentation without disturbance. It was carefully racked out of oak to spend a further several months on light lees before being bottled without fining or filtration. The naturally small yield of this vintage has resulted in an exceptionally concentrated and lengthy fruit profile of grapefruit, lemon, and white-fleshed stone fruit alongside subtle toast, grilled hazelnuts, and a hint of flint.
