ASTROLABE WREKIN CHARDONNAY 2020

Winery notes (2020 Vintage)
"Fruit from the Wrekin vineyard has been an important component of my Marlborough Chardonnay for over a decade. This site is situated within a larger area known as the Southern Valleys, in the clay southern hills of the Wairau Valley. The clay soils are good for water-retention and contribute to the textural mouthfeel.

The chardonnay at the Wrekin vineyard is on a very sunny, northern-facing slope, where the Wrekin valley meets the Fairhall valley. This block was established under organic principles. The fruit was hand-picked, whole cluster pressed, and fermented in barrel with high solids. The wine underwent natural malolactic fermentation as it aged in French oak puncheons. This wine has considerable influence from aging on lees with frequent bâtonnage. Maturation in larger format puncheons slows down the maturation, allowing for a tighter wine with greater potential for aging. I have also found the deeper sediment of lees in the puncheon to produce a greater autolytic influence.

Aromas of apricot, honeysuckle and hazelnut meal with a pronounced autolytic character and some vanilla from the oak. Bright lemon juice, yellow-fleshed nectarine and beurre bosc pear on the palate, with fresh butter flavours and an oily finish."

95/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, March 2025 (2020 Vintage)
"Winemaker and owner Simon Waghorn has been using Chardonnay fruit from the Wrekin vineyard in the Southern Valleys sub-region of Marlborough for over a decade. A bright golden straw colour in the glass. The scent shows lemon, apricot, satsuma, peach, vanilla, pear, brioche and hazelnut. Medium bodied, with a line of saline acidity accenting the ripe fruit, but well balanced and framed by smoky oak, adding richness and depth. A tightness reflects the youthful stage of the wine – expect more relaxed development over the next few years. The finish is dry, with a chalky minerality and good persistence."

Rated Excellent & 93/100 Cameron Douglas MS, April 2022 (2020 Vintage)
"Aromas and flavours of citrus and peach, baked apple and tangerine, a vanilla custard creamy quality and core of pure fruit with floral overtones. There’s a mineral quality than emerges as the wine opens up in glass along with a hint of white smoke from the oak. On the palate – a dry wine with a youthful acid line, flavours that mirror the bouquet and a fine oak and leesy quality. Youthful still so needs some cellar time with best drinking from late 2023 trough 2030."

4 Stars Michael Cooper (2020 Vintage)
"Certified organic, the elegant, restrained 2020 vintage was grown in the Wrekin Vineyard, in the Southern Valleys. Hand-harvested and fermented and matured for nine months in French oak puncheons and barriques, it is bright, light lemon/green, with vibrant, citrusy, slightly peachy flavours, a restrained oak influence, savoury notes adding complexity, fresh, balanced acidity and a dry finish. A gentle wine, it's well worth cellaring."