Potiki is Maori for 'last born' and is the apt and evocative name for the newest Chardonnay from Ata Rangi in Martinborough. Fleshy, full bodied and bone dry (as the best Chardonnays are), this is a stunning new wine with richness and balanced acidity adding length to every crisp and succulent sip.

Hand made Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay with depth and delicious intensity of flavour; ripe peachy fruit flavours are balanced by fine crisp fresh acidity and complex notes of creamy texture and a savoury depth that comes through. Aromas of oatmeal, cedar and spice all add layers of flavour to this wine, which was made with grapes grown on three vineyards; 70% Kokako and Ohiti Valley and 30% from the Ascot Vineyard in Havelock North. All grapes in this wine were hand picked, whole bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeasts, 100% malolactic fermentation followed by ageing in barrel on lees for eight months in French oak, 28% new. It was bottled unfined with a light filtration.

Hand-picked and fermented with natural vineyard yeasts and aged in 20% new French oak barrels and 38% in a concrete Tulipe for 12 months before settling in a concrete Tulipe on light lees for a further 5 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Slightly hazy, lemon golden hue. Complex aromas of grilled nuts, citrus fruits, florals and a hint of lemon rind. Mouth-watering acidity drives the wine with laser focus, flavours of citrus fruits, toasted nuts and a creamy texture gives the wine body and weight. A classic North Canterbury Chardonnay that is fully ripe and saline.

100% Chardonnay from the Catalonian region of Penedes in Spain, sandwiched between the Mediterranean and the local coastal mountains not far from Barcelona. The region is famed for its Cava production but here we see new wave wine makers Cellers Avgvstvs Forvm working with a Chardonnay and showing how modern Spanish winemaking is evolving.

Aged in French Nevers oak for 4 month and offering plenty of tropical and citrus fruit flavours and aromas.

Nga Waka was established in Martinborough in 1988 and is a family-owned winegrower producing small volumes of fine Martinborough wine from estate-grown grapes.

The Home Block Chardonnay is Nga Waka's flagship white wine. It is 100% barrel fermented and goes through 100% malolactic fermentation, remaining in barrel for 12 months with lees stirring monthly.

The wine is a pale gold colour and is rich and complex with deep, intense spicy and mineral flavours underpinned by tight-grained French oak, barrel fermentation and the malolactic component.

Beach House Wines is a family owned and run winery in Hawke's Bay, founded by winemaker Chris Harrison, who produces three outstanding Chardonnays, including The Tracks - his top wine. 

Full bodied, creamy flavours and all the bells and whistles are present and counted in this wine, which we think over delivers massively on its price. 

Prophet's Rock winemaker Paul Pujol produced precious little of this Chardonnay - just six barrels were made from hand picked grapes grown at Lowburn in Central Otago. The wine was fermented with wild yeasts and all up it received 15% new oak, with the remainder being older barrels. This wine is set to become a collector's piece, not least because it was inspired by and made in collaboration with a French winemaker. Prophet's Rock winemaker Paul Pujol and Burgundy winemaker, Francois Millet of Comptes de Vogue in Chambolle-Musigny joined forces to produce this fitting match to the outstanding Pinots from this wine brand.

A light ruby colour in the glass with gentle red berry and subtle earthy aromas on the nose. On the palate the wine is light with an elegant and refined mouthfeel and gentle red fruits flavours. Precise winemaking resulting in quality Pinot Noir.

This wine was hand harvested and whole bunch pressed followed by an extended time ageing on the lees. The wine is a rich straw gold colour, with floral aromas and apricot and orange notes on the nose. Extended lees ageing adds complex creamy, toasty qualities and nuttiness on the palate. This is supported by an underlying stony minerality and balanced acidity. This is a highly rated wine which will benefit from ageing.

It's easy to taste why this is the top white from Te Kairanga winery in Martinborough each year. Dry, smooth and complex flavours of roasted nuts, stone fruit and fresh white peach combine with citrus purity in a deeply flavoursome wine.

John Martin is named after the late founder of the Martinborough township. This wine is made mostly Mendoza clone Chardonnay grapes, grown on the winery's Home Vineyard. All grapes are whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeasts with 10 months maturation in French oak puncheons, which are 500 litre barrels. This wine goes through 100% malolactic fermentation, providing structure and length to what is a complex and refined wine.

Tasting Note

Citrus blossom, elderflower and wet stones set the scene for this subtle yet beguiling Chardonnay. Comfortable, at ease with itself, not a single component vying for attention; just the Felton Road style at the fore. Deeply fruited with hazelnut notes through the mid, combined with characteristic fresh acidity, leads to a harmonious and sustained finish. A seamless Bannockburn blend from our Calvert, Cornish Point and The Elms vineyards.

Introduction

Commencing with meticulous site selection and vineyard design in 1991, Felton Road's story is one of refusal to compromise. A strict 100% estate policy with fully organic and biodynamic viticulture (BioGro and Demeter certified) ensures that our fruit arrives at the winery as pure as it can be, while our entire estate comes as close to true sustainability as is possible. The winery is also B Corp certified and a proud member of IWCA (International Wineries for Climate Action). A commitment to hands off winemaking: gravity flow, wild yeasts, wild malo, an avoidance of fining and filtration all help preserve the wine's expression of its terroir. The result is Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir which accurately express the authenticity and complexity of our unique vineyards. 

Gareth King; Viticulturist, Blair Walter; Winemaker, Nigel Greening; Vigneron. 

Vineyard & Viticulture

Felton Road farms four properties totalling 34 ha in the Bannockburn subregion of Central Otago. Chardonnay is mostly grown on the Elms vineyard in Blocks 2, 6, 8 & 9, with approximately 10% coming from each of Cornish Point and Calvert vineyards. There are a range of altitudes and aspects, with the soils mostly deep schist gravels. Meticulous summer management of a single vertical shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking, bunch thinning and harvest are all carried out by hand to ensure optimum quality fruit. Cover crops are planted between rows to assist in vine balance and to improve soil health and general biodiversity.

Vintage

After a wet September, spring commenced with good soil moisture and bud burst occurred at the normal time of early October. Temperatures hovered around average with December being warm and dry, enabling a successful flowering and fruit set. The dry conditions prevailed throughout January and February limiting berry size and setting the scene for fruit with elevated phenolic material and complexity. Judicious use of irrigation was required to maintain sufficient vine health throughout this sustained dry period. Temperatures never spiked and hovered around average enabling a slow and steady path to maturity. A distinctive feature of March 2024 was the cool night temperatures preserving acidity, freshness and precision of fruit character. Chardonnay was harvested from 18-27 March.

Vinification  Various clones of Chardonnay (Mendoza, B95, 548) were carefully hand harvested from Cornish Point, Calvert and The Elms vineyards.  The grapes were whole bunch pressed with the juice flowing to barrel by gravity after overnight settling.  Fermentation in French oak (mostly well-seasoned barrels with just 5% new) with indigenous yeasts has produced a wine with considerable complexity. A long and complete indigenous malolactic fermentation with only periodic stirring of the lees (Batonnage), combined with 11 months on full lees; has softened the acid for a rich and complex mouthfeel.  In accordance with our non-interventionalist approach to winemaking, this wine was not fined or filtered after spending 13 months total in barrel.

TASTING NOTE An ethereal, highly perfumed pinot noir hailing from Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. A delicious combination of boysenberries, Black Doris plum, lavender and liquorice are underpinned by elegant, finely integrated tannins, with hints of cinnamon-clove spice and a dry, earthy finish. 

VITICULTURE Fruit was sourced from the historic Auntsfield Vineyard in the Ben Morven Valley and The Wrekin Vineyard at the head of the Brancott Valley. A mixture of clones 5, 114, 115, 667, 777 and Abel are grown on wind-blown, loess clay soils overlying greywacke bedrock that typify the sub-region. A combination of low yields, organic and biodynamic practices allow the vines to ripen beautiful, black bunches of intensely flavoured fruit. 

WINEMAKING Picked over three weeks starting mid-March, the fruit was harvested by hand and transported to the winery where it was chilled overnight. The majority of fruit was carefully destemmed into small fermentation vessels while a portion of whole-bunch fruit was also included. After several days cold-soaking on skins, the fermentation spontaneously commenced by indigenous yeast and was followed by gentle, daily hand-plunging. Following fermentation, the wine was drained off skins and transferred to a combination of seasoned French oak puncheons and barrels. The wine was aged in oak for 11 months before being transferred out just in time for the 2023 harvest. Each batch was kept separate until June when the blend was assembled and settled prior to bottling in July

Aged in fresh Chardonnay barrels for 24 months this unique Saison has undergone a gentle secondary fermentation from Dandelion & Nettle flora harvested from the meadow beside our brewery. Rich, oaky nuances blend with earthy, floral and herbal notes.

6.5% ABV

Best Before: 2029/01/01