Alpha Domus The Batten Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2024

Alpha Domus The Batten Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2024"Bright, light lemon green, it is highly fragrant and mouth filling, with lovely concentration of vibrant peach, grapefruit and biscuity oak flavours, fresh acidity and a rich, lasting finish. Complex, youthful and full of potential, it's well worth cellaring to 2028+" Michael Cooper This barrel fermented Chardonnay shows ripe nectarine, and hints of toasted grains. It has a luxurious palate, powerful, complex yet balanced. Delivering caramel and

"Bright, light lemon/green, it is highly fragrant and mouth filling, with lovely concentration of vibrant peach, grapefruit and biscuity oak flavours, fresh acidity and a rich, lasting finish. Complex, youthful and full of potential, it's well worth cellaring to 2028+" Michael Cooper

This barrel fermented Chardonnay shows ripe nectarine, and hints of toasted grains. It has a luxurious palate, powerful, complex yet balanced. Delivering caramel and toffee with citrus flavours, the palate is completed by a very long sumptuous and layered mineral finish with hints of nutmeg, The Batten Chardonnay has 5-6 years cellaring potential.

Since 1989, Alpha Domus has been dedicated to creating wines with exceptional craftsmanship and an unwavering commitment to quality. A small independent New Zealand owned winery, the name 'Alpha' is derived from our founders, while 'Domus,' from Latin, represents home.

A tribute to Jean Batten 1909 - 1982; A celebrated and true heroine of New Zealand aviation history

Full organic certification further enhances the wines. We work in harmony with nature encouraging biodiversity in the vineyard using naturally derived materials to nourish soil fertility and manage disease. Health is built from the ground up with biologically active soils nurturing robust vines and fruit, improving wine quality and complexity from healthy organic fruit.

All grapes used for the Batten Chardonnay are grown with this specific target in mind. Vines are pruned to lower bud numbers, and no manual labour is spared in the vineyard. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, lateral and bunch thinning are just a few of the passes we make. Seasonal adjustments are made in yields to guarantee excellent fruit ripeness and concentration. The grapes are hand harvested to select only the optimum quality bunches. Physiological ripeness is the main criteria determining harvest date.

This single vineyard estate grown Chardonnay was harvested from the best parcels of Clone 15 and clone 548 grapes. The fruit was handpicked, whole bunch pressed, with juice transferred to 100% French oak barriques and puncheons, 49% new. Indigenous yeast fermentation adds complexity and depth to the wine. Some of the barrels were inoculated with selected yeast to maintain an aspect of fruit purity. The fermentation took approximately 3 weeks to complete followed by full malolactic fermentation. Lees stirring took place for several months after vintage to increase the palate weight and roundness. The wine remained in the same barrels for 11 months prior to being blended to tank in February 2025.