chardonnay

Ransom Cosmos Chardonnay

Pale greenish gold, this new chardonnay has aromas of white peach, grapefruit and subtle smoky oak. The palate is full and soft with stone fruit flavours, giving way to a lingering creamy finish. Elegant, focused and firm, this wine should reward cellaring. Deserves a flavoursome food match e.g. grilled salmon or a warm lamb salad.

Cosmos Chardonnay Vintages - 2008

Gumfield Chardonnay Vintages - 1996, '97, '98, '99, '01, '02, '04, '05, '06, '07.

Barrique Chardonnay Vintages - 1997, '98, '99, '00, '01, '02, '04, '05, '06, '07.

The 2008 Ransom Cosmos Chardonnay is a variation on our previous Barrique Chardonnay, in several ways. The wine itself is slightly different in style, and partly for this reason we have given it a new identity. We have called this wine “Cosmos”, which is an acknowledgement of the proximity to our vineyard of AUT’s new radio telescope – located just over the hill from us near the original satellite station’s large electronic receival dishes.

AUT’s radio telescope was developed in part to be a component of the stupendous “Square Kilometre Array” (SKA), one of the most audacious and inspiring scientific ventures ever conceived. This project combines, with the aid of a massive supercomputer, the radio image receival capacity of thousands of similar radio telescopes spread from Western Australia (where the project will be based) right across to New Zealand.

The SKA will enable mankind to look way further out into the universe and therefore way further back in time than any current radio telescope. In short it will revolutionize our understanding of the universe and may throw more light on that most fundamental of questions, how did the universe begin?

Cosmos 2008 is a more complex and elegant version of our previous wooded chardonnays, and having now had 18 months in bottle all components are beautifully balanced. It is gorgeous right now but will give very satisfying drinking for several years to come.