GREYSTONE CHARDONNAY 2024

Greystone Chardonnay is not only one of the best expressions coming out of North Canterbury but can stake a claim as one of the best in the whole land. The last three vintages (2021, 2022 & 2023) both picked up Champion Wine of the Show at the New Zealand Organic Wine Awards, and this new 2024 release, in our opinion takes it another notch again.

The north facing slopes of the Waipara Hills bear more than a passing resemblance to Burgundy's Golden slopes and increasingly the wines are delivering quality to match. Cameron Douglas has already described this as "Utterly delicious… A wine that reminds me of outstanding Chablis.", some high praise indeed.

Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"A wine that beautifully showcases the limestone and clay soils of Greystone Vineyard, showing poise, length and texture through the palate. Subtle complexity from barrel ageing makes this an enticing wine to watch as it evolves over time.

This Chardonnay is the culmination of two distinct vineyard blocks – one rooted in limestone, the other in clay. Each block contributes its own unique character: clay from the lower slopes contributes richness and fruit weight, while limestone from the higher elevations delivers vibrant freshness and length. The result is a wine of depth, balance, and unmistakable character.

We hand-pick our Chardonnay blocks and process them without additives. The Limestone block was whole-bunch pressed, preserving its delicate minerality, while the Clay block was foot-crushed before pressing to enhance texture. Each block was fermented naturally in French oak barriques, guided by wild yeasts through primary fermentation. The wine was then left undisturbed over the winter months, with natural malolactic fermentation beginning in early spring, adding layers of complexity and texture. After ten months of aging, the wine was estate-bottled without fining."

95/100 Susie Barrie MW & Peter Richards MW (UK), Susie & Peter New Zealand Wines of the Year 2026 (2024 Vintage)
"Where the Erin’s Chardonnay (see above) is a richer, bolder, mature style, this straight Chardonnay from Greystone is altogether fresher and lither. The vineyards lie in the Omihi Hills of Waipara and this wine is a blend of two distinct vineyard blocks – one rooted in limestone, the other in clay. The clay from the lower slopes gives richness and fruit intensity while the limestone from higher elevations delivers vibrancy and length. Each block was made slightly differently (the clay block was foot-crushed, for what it’s worth), before the wine was aged in French oak barrels (22% new) for 10 months. The 2024 vintage was naturally low yielding and intense, and this wine definitely has a mouthwatering acidity and lip-smacking finish, with elegant mealy toasty nutty complexity as well as orange rind hints to boot. A refreshing, elegant, mineral style with a touch of salinity on the finish."