3 Different Chardonnays Odyssey,Iliad and Hera

From Odyssey we make 3 different Chardonnays. The Odyssey, The Iliad and Hera. All are handpicked from Gisborne's Golden Triangle,all are from un-irrigated old  Mendoza vines. All are fermented and aged in French oak barrique ....All from 3 very good vintages. 2018,2019 and 2020.

So whats the difference..

The Odyssey.... yes its 2020.Just bottled. A crazily popular wine. Handpicked on the second day and incorporates a heavier press fraction. Fermented in older oak so the phenolics are subdued and the fruit  abounds. Rested on lees but no stirring so the palate is rounded and creamy. Its beauty is in the fruit both on the nose and palate, ripe melon and peach. The palate is lusciously appealing, soft and silky...  very easy drinking.

The Iliad 2019....our most famous wine. For years it has consistently appealed. Handpicked  from favoured spots on the vineyard, it is gently pressed and with solids it undergoes a wild ferment in the 33% new, 33% one year old and 33%two year old tight grained french barriques. Primary ferment takes many months and it has a full malolactic. Lees stirring to gain complexity and roundness and then we wait until March the following year to blend and prepare for bottle.

Consistently 5 stars the wine exhibits ripe fruit barrel complexities and a generous palate from the time on lees and in barrel. Drinking well now this will continue to evolve and age 5-10 years although few seldom get the chance.

Hera... a winemakers barrel selection. At blending each year I would often  imagine if just a few handpicked barrels and puncheons could be bottled alone.

in 2018 we did just that. 50% new oak across the favorite cooper. Well seasoned oak, and mainly puncheons which are bigger and allow a more subtle impression of the oak and lees that let the fruit come to the fore. The tighter oak and early press fraction gives a structured wine with huge finesse and weight which will benefit from ageing and Hera is just coming into her own now. Watch the wine evolve with age and enjoy. Tip. the bottle is heavy so don't get tricked into thinking there is more wine left on the last round!