Vidal Estate of Hawkes Bay in New Zealand have released their Vidal Legacy Vintage at a media lunch hosted by Vidal winemaker, Hugh Crichton at Otto Ristorante.
Vidal Estate was founded in 1905 in New Zealand by Anthony Joseph Vidal from Spain who was one of the very first winemakers to appreciate the potential of Hawkes Bay as a wine growing region. The estate is known to produce well balanced wines with refined elegance and minimal intervention.
Vidal Wines has released Vidal Legacy Hawkes Bay Chardonnay from their 2016 vintage, a wine that has won various accolades in the past including 2012 vintage awarded International Chardonnay Trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards and Platinum Best in Category – Best New Zealand Chardonnay for the 2015 vintage.
Hugh Crichton, Vidal Winemaker
According to Winemaker Hugh Crichton, the grapes are handpicked, naturally fermented and carefully aged in quality French oak barrels. “The quality lies in the vineyard and for us, it’s about capturing that quality because the real magic occurs between the soils, the climate and the people who grow, the Viticulturist.”
On taste at the launch event:
Cured and pepper crusted Ora King salmon, orange, fennel, salmon roe and pistachio paired with:
- Vidal Reserve Chardonnay 2015 – elegant on the palate with a fine balance of citrus, acidity and a hint of oak and minerality
- Vidal Legacy Chardonnay 2016 – citrus forward but more fruit driven with soft oak, a balance of acidity and fruit, easy to drink but with complexity
- Vidal Legacy Chardonnay 2012 – textural and ultra smooth with more pronounced oak on the nose and palate, complex wine with good length
Potato gnocchi, Berkshire pork and porcini ragu paired with:
- Vidal Reserve Syrah 2014 – lightly perfumed with a nose of red berries and gentle spice, fresh and floral but light and thin on the palate
- Vidal Legacy Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2014 – rich ripe berries, cherries and warm spice with a good balance of oak and red fruits,
- Vidal Legacy Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2013 – seductive nose with rich spice and ripe red berries, dark cherries; an elegant syrah with a savoury palate with a good balance of tannins
Vidal Legacy Chardonnay 2016 and Vidal Legacy Syrah 2013, grown in the Gimblett Gravels are now available for purchase.
Photography © by Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.
