SIREN QUEEN OF SWORDS CHARDONNAY 2023

Winery notes (2023 Vintage)
"The Queen of Swords beckons you to look at all the facts before making a decision. This queen does have compassion, which is why she has her hand reaching outwards in offering, but she wants to connect to people using an understanding that is intellectual.

Caramelised honey and citrus notes carry the wine through from start to finish. Notes of popcorn, walnuts, preserved lemon and finger limes are present on the nose and palate. The wine is full of texture yet crisp and refreshing with searing acidity and a bone dry finish. A nod to Ash’s time working in the Jura, the intention was to make a racy Chardonnay with tension and texture. 

Biodynamically grown by The Wrekin vineyard in Marlborough.Hand-picked and whole bunch pressed into tank to settle overnight. Transferred into a mix of old puncheons and barriques for wild fermentation with constant lees stirring. Full malolactic fermentation and left to mature for 18 months before bottling. Certified organic fruit. Unfined. Unfiltered. Vegan. Minimal sulphites added at bottling. Bottled under cork and wax."

94/100 Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review, July 2025 (2023 Vintage)
"A persistently intriguing and evolving nose with fresh apple, floral notes, lemon zest, creaming soda, golden kiwifruit and yellow plums, even a hint of cinnamon. The palate is saline, long and complex with refreshing tartness before turning creamy towards the finish. Elegantly balanced, it’s accessible now with generosity and forwardness tempered by the tighter, savoury acidity. Clearly New Wave in style, this expressive, light- to mid-weight chardonnay has a gentle personality and will deliver much pleasure over the mid-term."

Reviews for the 2022 vintage below…

94/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, October 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"Made by Ashleigh Barrowman, using fruit from the biodynamic Wrekin Vineyard in the Brancott Valley, Marlborough. Bottled under cork and wax. Unfined and unfiltered – a bright golden straw colour in the glass, but expect some cloudiness at the bottom of the bottle. Aromas of grapefruit, apple, preserved lemon, cashew, apricot and orange blossom. A balance between that citrussy clean purity and some funky phenolics into the palate. Brimming with briney, linear acidity, it races along on a wave of energy and remains piquant and mineral. There is texture that sidles in from the wings, adding a silky element and interest. I don’t see oak, but there’s an oatmeal and spice note in the back somewhere, and the whole package is very characterful – from the labelling to the dry, persistent finish."