Main Divide North Canterbury Chardonnay 2023

Description

Hazelnut, Oak, Vanilla

"An impressive bouquet with a reductive gun-flinty quality, ripe, fresh and new too with aromas of apples and white peach, citrus peel and spice. Flavours on the palate mirror the bouquet with a satin texture, contrasting acid line and a nutty-biscuity quality. The gun-flint character is persistent adding a quality I enjoy in this example. Well made with best drinking from 2023 through 2027" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Apr 2022

"Mid-straw in the glass with aromas of peach, nectarine and citrus fruits. Hints of white flowers, nougat, crushed stone, light oak spice, buttered apples, roasted cashew and peach melba. Some nice pithy lemon notes and textural slinkiness on the palate, travelling brisk, crisp and minerally true with some pleasing clarity and nuance, dry and savoury at the back end. Great value" Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, Feb 2025

"Baked apples, pie crust and reductive struck-match aromas on the nose. It's full-bodied and lightly buttery, with bright acidity. Tasty nougat notes at the end" James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com, Dec 2024

"Wisps of bonfire smoke, nectarine, peach, nutty aspects, fine oak seasoning. Supple & generous, good depth of flavour yet also lovely freshness with the palate adding a little spice & butterscotch to the characters met previously. This is honest, very typical of its variety and so darn drinkable, and excellent value for money" Mark Henderson, Otago Daily Times, Jan 2025

Lemon straw in colour, the bouquet is rich and satisfying. Orchard fruits framed with delicate oak, vanilla, and hazelnut, spliced with touches of acacia and daphne flowers. A creamy satin textured mouthfeel, contrasting acid line and a nutty-biscuity quality combine to give the wine elegance and harmony. The palate is multi-layered and lavish, buttery yet supported by crisp minerality and a concentrated structure, leading to a long and juicy close.

Settled weather during Spring resulted in successful flowering and a healthy fruit set, meaning crop thinning was needed in some areas. Good heat concentration in early to mid-Summer then allowed the grapes to ripen beautifully. The remainder of Summer and Autumn threw up a mix of hot days interspersed with cooler spells, although rain was sufficiently spread out to ensure the bunches remained healthy and disease free.

We use traditional Burgundian winemaking methods. The fruit was harvested in late March and gently pressed. The non-clarified juice was then put into large French oak barrels (puncheons), where it underwent primary fermentation by the grapes’ natural yeasts. The wine was then matured in these barriques on its own yeast lees (sur lie). In late spring after harvest, it started to go through spontaneous secondary (malolactic) fermentation. It was regularly tasted during this time and the fermentation was stopped when the ideal balance was obtained.