CLOS OSTLER CHARDONNAY 2024

Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"Hand-harvested fruit, whole bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeast in French oak barrels. A 100% barrel ferment lends texture and depth. Aromas of white peach and ripe lychee, layered with subtle floral tones, sit alongside a faint mineral edge, offering both aromatic lift and complexity. A vibrant entry of succulent stonefruit evolves into a focused core of grapefruit acidity, delivering precision and energy. The palate is finely textured, with a mineral backbone and a thread of salinity providing structure and drive, leading to a long, refined finish that is distinctly expressive of the Waitaki Valley’s cool-climate elegance."

5 Stars & 96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2026 (2024 Vintage)
"Exquisite and poised, the wine shows white-fleshed nectarine, lemon pith, wet limestone, nougat, and biscotti nuances. It's concentrated and wonderfully weighted, delivering a creamy mouthfeel and beautifully pitched acidity, making it superbly structured and harmonious with an impressively long, textured finish. At its best: 2027 to 2034."

5 Stars & 95/100 Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review, August 2026 (2024 Vintage)
"A brand-new wine from Clos Ostler’s unique, limestone-rich site in Waitaki, the 2024 reflects a strong El Niño season, resulting in warmth and a harvest which is 10 days earlier than the long term average. This comes through in the wine’s richness and fruit profile while the region’s hallmark acidity keeps everything tightly constrained. A wonderful debut. Bright gold. This is a lush and creamy-oaked chardonnay with guilty aromas of lemon curd and vanilla ice cream which eventually give way to roasted cashew and hazelnut. The palate has a tight, saline acidity which offsets the more developed, deliberately oxidative complexity woven throughout the creamy honeydew melon flavours. Teetering on the edge of voluptuous but with enough acid tension to bring everything into focus, it walks a fine line on balance which gives it intrigue and interest. Approachable now but with the structure and concentration to reward mid-term cellaring."

Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, April 2026 (2024 Vintage)
"Great colour and bouquet with yellow gold hues then aromas of nut and baked stone fruits, vanilla and whipped cream, nectarine and even a touch of banana. Complex too with a distinctive voice of site with a limestone soil voice. On the palate a full-bodied dry wine with a core of green melon and stone fruit flavours, vanilla and baked nut complexities. Medium+ acid line, a silky-cream texture and fine tannins from oak and fruit leading to a lengthy finish. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2031+."