On my last visit to Marlborough I took my friend David to Aunstfield Estate in to taste the wines and to put him in touch with one of his ancestors David Herd, his great grandfather I think David said – on his mother’s side of the family.
Auntsfield Estate Orchard Hill Chardonnay 2009
It was late in the day and we had been to few other wineries but we were able to meet Ben, Luc and Lorna and had a brief chat before tasting a couple of wines of which I quite liked the 2009 Orchard Hill Chardonnay.
I just opened a bottle today and it is a gorgeous medium straw colour with a subtle bouquet showing tropical and stone fruits with citrus notes as well. On the palate it has a great mineral /acid backbone balanced with ripe stone fruit and melon quite vibrant – a very fruit driven wine but even without any oak it does has a great mouth feel and a richness that leaves you with a really nice more-ish finish.
I rated the Auntsfield Estate Orchard Hill Chardonnay 2009 16.5/20 82.5/100
Next time I’m in Marlborough I’ll be going back to Auntsfield to spend some more time there and visit the old cellar that was built in 1873, take some photos and taste the rest of their wines – see you soon Ben Luc and team…