The pale straw colour and aromas of ripe citrus fruits indicate the chardonnay origins of Pelorus Brut. A bouquet of apple and lemon complements fresh bready notes derived from two years bottle ageing on lees. The deliciously crisp palate displays toasty, creamy complexity, enhanced by a lingering nutty finish.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes are sourced from several grower and estate vineyards located within the Wairau Valley in Marlborough. Soils vary from stony free draining gravels to fine silt loams containing some clay.
Several different clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are used in the vinification of Pelorus Brut. All grapes are pressed without crushing and the juice is given a short period of settling which is followed by racking and inoculation with a pure strain of Montrachet yeast. The base wines are fermented and aged in a mixture of stainless steel tanks, large oak vats and small French oak barrels. Following a spontaneous malolactic fermentation the wines are left to age on lees for a further eight months prior to blending each November.
The predominantly Chardonnay blend is put on tirage using prise de mousse yeast the following February and subsequently allowed to attain a minimum of two years lees ageing in the bottle before disgorgement.
