Harvest

Two lots, hand harvested on April 22nd and 23rd, 2008. Hand sorted. Whole cluster pressed.

• Brix: 23.7

• TA: 9.30g/l

• pH: 3.26

Cellar & Bottling

Racked to barrels immediately after pressing. 100% barrel fermented in 228L barriques (10% new) with native yeasts followed by a full malolactic fermentation. All lots were held on fermentation lees for nine months before racking, blending and bottling.
Bottled on February 11th 2009.

• RS: 2 g/L

• TA: 6.8 g/L

• pH: 3.44

• Alcohol: 13.5%

The Wine

Our aim is to produce subtle, complex, Chardonnay. After a spring frost we looked for more Chardonnay to supplement our estate production. This Chardonnay was grown on the Fitzgerald vineyard near the township of Waipara. Muddy Water staff managed the vineyard from December 2007 through to harvest in April 2008.

Growers’ Series: With the 2008 vintage we have introduced a new series of wines. Muddy Water Growers Series will be used for grapes not grown on our estate vineyards which are currently undergoing transition to organic certification.

To ensure quality and uniformity this wine is a single lot, bottled at our vineyard on one day and sealed with a screw cap. Do not expect or accept any bottle variation. We regard bottle variation as an unacceptable “thing of the past”.

Grown at Waipara, hand-picked and fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak casks (10 percent new), has firm acid spine, strong lemony flavours and a subtle oak influence in a distinctly cool-climate, minerally, flinty style.  Worth cellaring.  ***

Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines, 2011

"It's complex and subtly aromatic on the nose displaying citrus, cashew and flinty mineral characters. The palate is focused and beautifully weighted with bright acidity and a finely textured mouthfeel. The wine is in the style of Burgundy with its restrained fruit characters and a firmly structured palate. Despite the full malolactic the wine remains crisp and refreshing. If you enjoy Chardonnays with classic frame, elegance and interesting complexity, this is an absolute bargain. Often you'd need to pay significantly more for a wine like this. 4.5 Stars 91/100 - Excellent quality showing high level of concentration and balance."

Sam Kim, Senior Wine Judge, Wine Orbit


"Skilled winemaker Belinda Gould is crafting a fine range of flavoursome, characterful wines at Muddy Water in Waipara, North Canterbury.  From their Grower's Series, this Chardonnay is produced from fruit sourced from a site near the township of Waipara that is currently undergoing transition to organic certification. Complex and aromatic in the glass, the nose of this wine shows fine-fruit characters with significant oak influence.  The palate is creamy and deliciously smooth, featuring those fine fruit flavours again;  stonefruit and grilled nuts, along with plenty of quality oak influence, which should, with time, integrate more subtly.  There is good concentration on the palate and really satisfying depth of flavour.  Although still youthful at this time, this is quality wine that will reward lovers of ripe, creamy chardonnays with its finesse and complexity."

Colin Ford, August 2010,  Wine Trade Online