WINES
Chardonnay
While Chardonnay’s spiritual home is Burgundy in France, Chardonnay is now grown wherever wine is produced. Marlborough’s cool climate Chardonnays are concentrated, complex, and well balanced thanks to our warm days and cool nights. More citrus focused than big and tropical, the pristine fruit shines with careful use of oak, and sometimes the wine undergoes malolactic fermentations to soften the higher acidity. This happens when malic acid is converted to lactic acid – a natural fermentation to tame acidity.
Learn More About This Varietal
Tasting Notes
Grown in the stony soils of our Home vineyard, handpicked fruit was gently pressed into French oak, fermented spontaneously and aged for 11 months. Aromas of ripe stone fruit, flint and citrus zest integrate with bold flavours of vanilla and brioche. The palate is powerful yet elegant expressing the excellent fruit weight balanced by fine acidity.
Vintage Overview
A dry winter was followed by periods of cooler unsettled weather during
flowering and fruit set, which resulted in reduced numbers of berries
per bunch. This combined with a return to the classic dry windy weather
Marlborough is renowned for led to a significant reduction in yield from
the long-term average.
The ripening period was characterised by long hot days and cool nights
which were crucial to retaining vibrant acidity in such a dry year.
Without any significant rainfall events throughout the growing season
the viticulture and winemaking teams were afforded the luxury of
perfect ripening conditions for the production high quality fruit without
any weather or disease concerns.
Targeted irrigation management ensured the vines maintained a
healthy canopy throughout, with overall vine health unparalleled,
resulting in wines of intense concentration, balance, and tension.
Picking commenced earlier than in previous vintages at the beginning
of March, with the fine settled weather continuing through to the end
of harvest in mid-April, allowing a more relaxed picking schedule and
extended hang-time for later ripening varieties. Certainly, one of the
most outstanding vintages we have ever experienced.
Vinification
The grapes were carefully hand harvested in the early hours of the
morning and returned to the winery in small bins. After gentle wholebunch
pressing in our basket press the free-run juice was fermented in
French barriques which consisted of 40% new oak and 60% seasoned
oak. The wine underwent wild alcoholic fermentation followed by full
malolactic fermentation in the springtime. After 11 months in barrel,
the wine was blended and settled on light lees for 4 months before
bottling on the Rose Family Estate.
Flavour Profile
-
Nectarine
-
Pastry
-
Citrus
-
Stonefruit
Technical Data
-
Alc
13.0%
-
TA
5.9 g/L
-
pH
2.36
-
RS
0.53 g/L
Harvested 21 March 2023
Vineyard Composition
Regional Overview
The Wairau Valley is one of three zones – along with the Southern Valleys and the Awatere Valley – which make up the heartland of New Zealand's Marlborough wine region. It accounts for approximately 45 percent of plantings within the wider region. An extensive patchwork of vineyards surrounds the town of Blenheim in the north-eastern corner of the South Island, near where the Wairau River meets the Pacific Ocean.
The Wairau Valley is a wide river valley that follows the Wairau River from the Spenser Mountains in the west to the Pacific at Cloudy Bay. The Richmond Mountains in the north separate it from the sunny region of Nelson, and the Wither Hills in the south protect the valley from harsh weather systems from the south-east.
In the low-lying area along the Wairau River Rapaura and Renwick are the most established zones. However in recent years vineyard plantings have extended further west along the narrow valley floor.
Wairau Valley has a warm, dry climate that is moderated during the growing season by sea breezes from Cloudy Bay. Hot sunshine during the day and cold ocean winds at night extend the ripening period in the grapes, leading to a balance of fruit complexity and acidity. This diurnal temperature variation is essential to the terroir in the Wairau Valley – without it, much of the classic punchiness of the wines made here would be lost.
Reviews
Varietal FAQs
Where are your wines manufactured?
All our wines are made on site in our winery. We draw fruit from our 15 estate vineyards, which means they are owned by us. We built our winery in 2002.
Does your Reserve Chardonnay have oak?
Yes we use 100% French oak and the wine undergoes natural fermentation to give the wine elegance and poise. The oak integrates well with the fruit in the wine to give complexity and texture.
How can I keep the wine fresh once a bottle has been opened?
To keep an open bottle of wine fresh, ensure the cap is tightly sealed after every glass pour. Our white wines and rosé should be stored, cap on, in a refrigerator to slow down oxidisation. For our red wines, keep the wine bottle out of light and stored at room temperature (below 21 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit), or in a refrigerator.
How long will your wine last when opened?
White wines are good for 1-2 days and red wines for 3-5 days if stored correctly.
