• French oak
• Nectarine & lemon
• Vanilla & spice
• Elegant finish

"Beautifully styled and inviting, the bouquet shows ripe stone fruit, lemon peel, savoury pastry and hazelnut aromas, leading to a finely flowing palate that’s succulent and creamy. Delightfully harmonious with elegant complexity, it’s elegantly flavoursome and highly enjoyable. At its best: now to 2027" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2022

"A fine, complex and elegant bouquet with a youthful power and drive. Aromas of mineral wet stones and white fleshed stone fruits, grapefruit and apple, cashew nut oak scents, vanilla and a touch of apple blossom. Youthful textures touch the palate first with acidity and fine wood tannins then contrasting core flavours of orchard fruits and citrus. Wood and acidity set the foundation and structure for core fruit flavours adding to a lengthy finish. As always very well made with attention to detail. Best drinking from 2023 through 2029" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Dec 2022

"Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is full and appealing, greeted with ripe citrus, apple, stonefruit, spice and nougat. Medium-full bodied, aromas of yellow apple, ripe Meyer lemon and nectarine form a sweet core, unfolding spice and a hint of nougat. Refreshing acidity flows easily, carrying spice and fine-textured phenolics to a pleasing, juicy finish. This charming Chardonnay is packed with succulent fruit, spice and a smooth-flowing palate. Match with chicken and butternut squash ravioli over the next 3- 5 years. Fruit from Southern Valleys, the handpicked portion whole bunch pressed into French oak barrels for wild fermentation on high solids, machine picked portion fermented in tank and then sent to barrels mid-ferment. Lees occasionally stirred over seven months and underwent full MLF" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Dec 2022

Straw yellow. This wine is layered with fragrant aromas of red apple, nectarine and lemon peel alongside toasted almond, nougat, a touch of spice and vanilla. On the palate, juicy apple and nectarine flavours are balanced by crisp citrus notes and refreshing acidity. Wild ferment and barrel aging has added complexity, nutty nuances and a weighty texture. The wine concludes in a dry, lingering, elegant finish.

The 2022 season started with a very wet spring following hot on the heels of above average winter rainfall. Budburst was earlier than in 2021, and the vines’ potential for the 2022 season was there for all to see! Settled weather in late spring led to a good flowering across all varieties and some high temperatures in January made for healthy canopies that were well poised to carry the fruit through to ripening. Temperatures cooled down leading into harvest and a spell of rain in February made for some slightly nerve-wracking moments. But in the end, in typical Marlborough fashion, the sun came out and the vines worked their magic! Both vineyard sites for this wine are in drier, more sheltered locations with even soils leading to beautiful even ripeness in the fruit as it arrived in the winery.

The fruit for this wine came from the two beautiful vineyards in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys: Meadowbank Estate in the Taylor Pass and the Anderson Vineyard in the Brancott valley. The grapes were harvested carefully by hand and machine then taken to the winery for fermentation using a variety of techniques. Whole cluster pressed portions went directly into French oak barrels for a wild ferment on high solids. Other portions were tank fermented and some were cold settled and partially tank fermented and then sent to barrels mid-ferment. The yeast lees in the barrels were stirred occasionally over a seven month period to add body and complexity, and the wine underwent full malolactic fermentation to add further complexity. After its extended nap in the barrels, the various parcels were blended, stabilised then bottled.

Food Pairing: The complex flavours in this wine make it an adaptable option to pair with food. It’s perfect with fresh seafood flavours dishes such as barbequed crayfish tails with garlic butter or try it with a baked brie topped with honey and walnuts or a wholesome chicken noodle soup. Vegetarians would find it a great match with a mushroom risotto or with a roast pumpkin and spinach lasagne.