Te Kairanga Runholder Martinborough Chardonnay 2023

Description

Cashew, Nougat, Oak

Fragrant savoury notes mingle together with soft oak, cashew, stone fruits and nougat. The palate is full, with mouth filling texture, weight and concentration of flavour. Barrel fermentation gives texture and complexity with underlying ripe fruit core.

Established in 1984, Te Kairanga is an important part of the Martinborough wine story. Our home vineyards are planted on land that was originally owned by the founding father of Martinborough, John Martin. While our land is steeped in history, our winemaking is very much focused on the future.

Grapes for this wine are selected from our East Plain Vineyard on the Martinborough Terrace, one of New Zealand’s most coveted winegrowing sub-regions. Once a riverbed, it features deep ancient alluvial gravel soils. Our vineyards are sustainably farmed.

A challenging and atypical season impacted by wetter than usual growing conditions. An extensive effort by our vineyard team throughout the season ensured fruit still arrived into the winery in a good condition. Our 2023 white wines are refined and elegantly expressive.

Under the direction of Chief Winemaker, John Kavanagh, our winemaking philosophy places a premium on the character of each vineyard. Crafted from our best vineyard parcels, the fruit for Runholder Chardonnay is derived from three clones, including the Mendoza clone. It is hand-picked, hand sorted, whole bunch pressed and filled to French oak puncheons for indigenous primary and malolatic fermentation. Lees were stirred periodically. The wine was racked into stainless steel and bottled with minimal fining and filtration to help preserve both varietal character and the inimitable personality of our terroir.

Food Pairing: Enjoy with Pad Thai or a hearty Thai dish.