• French oak
• White peach
• Brioche & vanilla
• Bright & vibrant

"Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is full and rich, with aromas of struck-match, roasted nut, spice, underlying citrus and stonefruit. Full-bodied, aromas of grapefruit, Meyer lemon and peach have a concentrated core, unfolding minerals, hazelnut, struck-match, grapefruit peel and spice. The mouthfeel is creamy with a mineral texture, growing layers of fruit, zest, spice and nutty integration. A focused acid tension drives a long, zesty finish. This cool-climate Chardonnay shows a concentration of fruit with attractive and powerful oak integration and a long finish" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, May 2023

"Attractively fragrant chardonnay with white peach, cashew nut, oyster shell and a subtle seasoning of spicy oak. Bright, vibrant wine with appealing purity and a backbone of taut acidity" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Apr 2023

"There’s no mistaking the bold creamy peach, cashew nut-butter and vanilla scents, a developing bouquet offering aromas of ripe yellow stone fruits, vanilla-cream and smoky wood adds complexity. On the palate a full-bodied wine with a core of fruit and oak, some tannins and decent acid line offer texture and contrast to the fruit. The smoky wood attributes and developing mouthfeel along with a touch of clay soils echoed showcase a wine that is ready for food or a large wine glass with best drinking from 2023 through 2027" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Apr 2023

An expressive cool climate chardonnay with richness, weight and texture. A ripe, concentrated nose of yellow peach, nectarine and a touch of clotted cream richness leads to a palate of stone fruit and brioche. Fine French oak frames the wine with great finesse and elegance with a mineral acidity and a long finish. We expect this wine to evolve with careful cellaring for another 8-10 years.

Our Ghost Town wines are an exploration of the unique character of Central Otago sub-regions beyond our home in Bannockburn. Central Otago is dotted with the deserted relics of a mining era bygone. This wine is a blend of grapes from Packspur Vineyard and McFelin Ridge Vineyard, both situated in Lowburn Valley on the northern side of Cromwell at a higher elevation on a steep block with a mix of clay and deep silt loam soils. These wines are a nod to those miners who came following fortune and left behind and left behind remnants rich for winemaking. Made in limited quantities and with minimal intervention, Ghost Town Chardonnay expresses the personality our Lowburn Valley vineyards.

The 2022 season swung the pendulum again for Central Otago. This season was characterised by a very warm summer, punctuated by vital rain events, culminating in a bumper crop that was harvested 1-2 weeks ahead of long term average. The benign, warm flowering conditions in December resulted in excellent fruit set and healthy canopies that galloped through a dry January. They were replenished by rain in February before harvest began in mid-March and was wrapped up by mid-April.

The fruit for our Ghost Town Chardonnay was hand-picked and handled in an oxidative fashion, destemmed and pressed straight to barrel. We fermented 100% of the juice in barrel with full solids using indigenous yeasts. 14% new French oak was used for the wine’s maturation, whilst maturing no lees stirring was utilised. The wine went through a full malolactic fermentation in spring, after which the barrels were stirred for a period. The wine was racked from barrel and filtered before being racked to tank to settle prior to being bottled, unfined, in November.