• French oak
• Lemon & fig
• Roasted almonds
• Focused acidity

"Supremely elegant and complex, the wine shows ripe peach, popcorn, hazelnut, brioche and lemon zest aromas on the nose, leading to a wonderfully weighted palate offering fleshy texture and succulent fruit intensity. Beautifully layered with creamy mouthfeel and bright acidity, finishing impressively long and expansive. At its best: now 2023 to 2032" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2021

"Described by Villa Maria as a 'mineral-driven' style, this wine is estate-grown in Taylors Pass Vineyard, in Marlborough's Awatere Valley. Hand-harvested, it is fermented and lees-aged for over a year in French oak barriques and puncheons (18 per cent new in 2020.) The 2020 vintage (5*) is a bright, light yellow/green, mouthfilling wine, with concentrated, ripe, peachy, citrusy flavours, gently seasoned with biscuity oak. A complex wine with fresh acidity and a very harmonious, slightly creamy finish, it should break into full stride 2023+" Michael Cooper, Jul 2022

"There's a fine and alluring gentle savoury core to the bouquet just before aromas of yellow citrus and stone fruit scents invade the palate. A sweet barrel and wood spice layer layer in complexity and depth. Silky textures touch the palate first followed by flavours of citrus and apple, some stone fruit and quiet savoury spice. Fine tannins texture with a refreshing acid line. Youthful and still developing, but delicious all the same. Best drinking from mid 2022 through 2028" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Dec 2021

"From the cool Awatere Valley. Pure and ethereal chardonnay with citrus, grapefruit, toasty oak and subtle oyster-shell flavours supported by fruity acidity. A delicate, supple wine that has been made with a light touch" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Dec 2021

"Restrained, fragrant nose with subtle notes of windfall apple, lemon, brioche and creamy, malolactic influence - it's actually quite Chablis-like. The palate is taut, with crunchy apple flavour, good concentration and a bracing, fresh finish. A distinctly cooler-climate chardonnay style. A good food wine and given a couple of years in the bottle, this is bound to impress even more" NZ Wine Rater, Sep 2022

"The 2020 Chardonnay Taylors Pass is a pure and precise style that offers plentiful concentration as well as integrated nutty oak flavors and creamy characters. It is medium in weight and round in the mouth, courtesy of extended time on lees (14 months), while retaining a sense of focus thanks to the region's cool climate. This is an ambitiously made barrel-fermented wine that was part fermented with natural yeasts. It offers attractive purity of fruit, no doubt retained by the careful handling, as well as fine structure on the lightly structured finish. A little more length would elevate it further" Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine, Mar 2022

This is a mineral-driven style of Chardonnay, showcasing complex aromas of brioche, gun-smoke and ripe lemon rind that are distinctive from the stony Taylors Pass Vineyard. This elegant Chardonnay expresses flavours of grapefruit, fig, quince and roasted almonds with a restrained and focused acidity on the finish.

The Taylors Pass Vineyard is located on the northern bank of the Awatere River in Marlborough, the predominantly dry climate is influenced by cool coastal breezes and winds from Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku. Soils range from silt over gravels, to stony gravels, with large greywacke river stones that reflect heat to assist with even fruit ripening.

A near-perfect growing season led up to 2020 harvest with fruit in pristine condition. The summer was dry with high sunshine hours during the day and the cooler nights that are typical for Marlborough. Yields were at their optimum level and the stable autumn weather allowed us to extend the hangtime of the fruit on the vines to achieve physiological ripeness.

100% hand picked & whole bunch pressed. 53% wild fermentation - 96% malo-lactic fermentation. 100% barrel fermentation (barriques & puncheons). 18% new + 82% seasoned French Oak. 14 months in contact with yeast lees, 4 months settling in tank.