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Buy OnlineWinery notes (2022 Vintage)
"Enticing aromas of brown sugar and vanilla custard entwine with a bright citrus note reminiscent of home-made lemon curd. The palate is layered with ripe golden peaches and caramelised figs, while being driven by a seam of flinty minerality. There is an earthy richness, evoking thoughts of freshly cut hay, roasted nuts and faint whiffs of wood smoke. A wine with hidden charms, tight structure and excellent ageing potential.
The vineyards were hand-picked separately at high ripeness levels and whole-bunch pressed using very low maceration press cycles. Some of the fruit was pressed directly to barrel, the balance was lightly settled and then racked to barrel. The juice went through a natural indigenous yeast fermentation in French oak barriques (20% new), with the final phase continuing for many months. The wine received occasional lees stirring and underwent a complete malolactic fermentation. It was transferred out of oak after 11 months and bottled in September 2023."
Reviews for the 2022 vintage below…
5 Stars & 95/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review (2021 Vintage)
"Intense, tangy chardonnay with lemon curd, white peach, oyster shell, subtle oak and nutty yeast lees flavours. Serious chardonnay with good cellaring potential."
95/100 Erin Larkin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, September 2023 (2021 Vintage)
"The 2021 Chardonnay leads with a nutty, spicy nose, loads of savoury curry leaf, a nice flinty reduction and crushed nuts. It’s a brilliant wine with lovely flow. Superb. A mix of Mendoza clone and 95, it was pressed to barrel with 100% solids. This was tasted with Kevin Judd at Greywacke in September 2023. Drink 2023-2036."
5 Stars & 95/100 Stuart Knox, The Real Review (2021 Vintage)
"Nose dominated by struck-flint reduction; underneath we see ripe peach fruits. Palate is full and the reductive characters are in balance with the ripe yellow peach and grilled pineapple fruits. Great length and detail, hints of bacon fat and butterscotch towards the finish add to the sense of weight and power. A serious and powerful wine that has all the volume knobs turned up to 11."
5 Stars Michael Cooper (2021 Vintage)
"The powerful 2021 vintage was grown principally in the lower reaches of the Brancott Valley and at Fairhall, with smaller amounts from Renwick and Rapaura. Hand-harvested, it was fermented and matured for 11 months in French oak barriques (20 per cent new). Bright, light yellow/green, it has a fragrant, gently smoky bouquet. Notably sturdy and weighty, it has finely balanced acidity and concentrated, ripe stonefruit flavours, complex and savoury. A bolder style than most of the region's Chardonnays, it should be at its best 2025+."
94/100 JamesSuckling.com (2021 Vintage)
"Expressive and intense minerality of sea spray and flinty aromas followed by lemon zest, apple blossoms and almonds with a hint of dried tea leaves. Medium-bodied, crisp acidity. Piquant and tangy finish. Many interesting savoury layers."
