Reviews
Ashwood Estate Gisborne Chardonnay 2013
***** Raymond Chan
Mendosa clone fruit from the ‘Hexton Home Block' single vineyard on Back Ormond Road, hand-picked and two-thirds indigenous yeast, fully barrel-fermented to 14.0% alc. and 3.0 g/L RS. The wine aged 9 months in new French oak barriques on lees with batonnage and 38% MLF. Bright, even, light golden-hued straw-yellow with light green on the edge. The nose is soft and elegantly concentrated with harmonious layers of ripe citrus fruit melded with mealy and oxidative nutty interest, creamy barrel-ferment elements, smoky and toasty oak, and butterscotch MLF complexities. The aromas bloom and integrate to fill the nose. Medium-full bodied, the palate features rich and softly concentrated, harmonious layers of bright, ripe citrus and yellow stonefruits, mealy lees and creamy barrel-ferment elements and nutty, oxidative complexities. The fruit is enriched and enlivened by fresh acid vitality, and the wine follows a subtle, phenolic, fine-textured line that carries to a dry, mealy and nutty nuanced finish. This is a harmoniously rich and finely complex Chardonnay with layers of creamy and nutty notes and plenty of vitality. Match with creamy poultry and pork dishes over the next 5-6+ years.
Ashwood Estate 2011 Gisborne Pinot Gris
**** Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
The wine shows wonderful ripeness together with textured mouthfeel, making it a great wine to sip and to partner flavoursome dishes. The nose shows ripe peach, pear, floral and subtle spice notes, leading to a fabulous palate that's plush and succulent. It's smooth, comforting and very long on the finish. At its best now to 2017.
***** Raymond Chan
Bright straw-yellow colour with light golden hues, paler on rim. The nose is deeply concentrated with complex aromas of savoury yellow stonefruits melded with honey, revealing toast and minerally nuances. The aromatics show a refreshing herb and steely note lending an underlying vitality and liveliness. Off-dry to taste and medium-full bodied, concentrated flavours of lifted yellow stonefruits are melded with exotic florals and honey. The mouthfeel is very smooth and the fruit flows along a very refined, textural line with fresh acid cut lending brightness and energy. The wine is elegantly proportioned and is carried to a long and sustained finish. This is an elegantly proportioned, vibrantly fruited off-dry Pinot Gris with flavours of yellow stonefruits and honey. Serve with Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine over the next 4-5 years.
Ashwood Estate 2013 Gisborne Late Harvest Pinot Gris
**** Raymond Chan
Bright straw-yellow colour with light lemon hues, pale on rim. The nose is very tightly bound and elegantly proportioned with lifted white stonefruit aromas intermixed with honeysuckle and nutty notes. Medium-sweet and medium-full bodied, the flavours are tightly bound and restrained in expression, showing white stonefruits, nuts and honey. This is fine and firmly concentrated with good alcohol drive. The mouthfeel is youthfully reticent, the sweetness balanced and cut by the alcohol and fresh, lacy acidity. The wine has richness and linearity, leading to a concentrated, lingering nutty finish. This is a tightly bound medium-sweet Pinot Gris with white stonefruit and nutty flavours that will open up with greater richness and develop a degree of decadence over the next 5+ years. Serve with baked desserts.