Novum, Chardonnay 2021

Novum is the brainchild of Will and Rachel Hoare. Will's wine career had a bumpy start, when he was kicked out of school for selling wine to his fellow students (we’d call it entrepreneurial), but since then it's been more of a success story. Novum has a simple philosophy - great fruit makes great wine. They buy small parcels of grapes from established vineyards in special sites to make the very best wine they can. Such a hidden gem; this 100% Chardonnay was taken from 40 year old vines grown in an old alluvial riverbed - one of the best soils/naturally occurring sites for wine grapes. The fruit is hand-picked and aged in oak for 12 months prior to bottling. The nose is flinty with notes of ripe lemon, white peach and butterscotch. The palate is rich & enveloping, with flavours of baked apple and vanilla leading to an incredibly long, moreish finish. An absolute knockout; would give a lot of top-shelf white Burgundy a run for its money.