OTU Limited Release Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2025

Description

Lemon, Oak, Pastry

"It's wonderfully fruited with stylish complexity, showing ripe peach, rockmelon, nougat, and almond meal nuances. The concentrated palate delivers a creamy texture and beautifully infused acidity, making it flavoursome and harmonious with a lengthy, satisfying finish. At its best: now to 2030" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Oct 2025

Fragrant aromas of stonefruit, citrus blossom with subtle French oak lift and bakery spices from a full malolactic fermentation. This generous wine is beautifully structured and balanced, with luscious ripe apricot flavours and a honeyed biscuit finish.

A collection of OTU’s finest, available only in limited quantities, in selected vintages. Every so often our Chief Winemaker sees something standout; an outstanding vintage, an exceptional block of vines, expressive minerality, exquisite intensity of fruit – and chooses to capture its finesse. Small parcels, hand-selected blocks & always hand crafted.

The standout 2025 growing season delivered ripe and concentrated parcels of Clones 95, 6 and Mendoza Chardonnay from select premium vineyards in the Ngtarawa region. These excellent warm and dry conditions meant that fruit could be left to hang on the vine longer, delivering fully ripe fruit with a balanced acidity.

The 2025 growing season in Hawke’s Bay delivered one of the region’s strongest vintages in recent years, beginning with a warm, dry spring that produced excellent flowering and balanced fruit set. A cooler-than-average but stable summer preserved natural acidity while allowing steady, even ripening across varieties. Harvest commenced early and progressed smoothly, with Chardonnay showing bright, fresh acidity and refined flavour definition. Winemakers across the region have described 2025 as a standout, potentially “legendary” vintage thanks to its consistency and quality. Overall, the season has positioned our Hawke’s Bay grower to release Chardonnay of exceptional balance, purity, and regional character.

Crafted from the outstanding 2025 Hawke’s Bay vintage, this generous Chardonnay was gently pressed and settled before fermentation with selected yeasts to enhance purity, texture, and complexity of aromas. The juice was transferred to 500L French oak puncheons to encourage a refined, integrated oak influence while preserving the fruit’s natural vibrancy. A slow, cool ferment allowed the wine’s stone-fruit and citrus layers to build, while periodic bâtonnage (stirring) added subtle richness and mid-palate weight. The result is a beautifully balanced Chardonnay that reflects the region’s exceptional 2025 growing season.

Food Pairing: Delicious with pork belly.