There is a whiff of the exotic that includes lychee and passion fruit on the layered nose laced with iodine, seaweed, floral and lemongrass wisps. The exceptionally rich, even opulent, medium-bodied flavours manage to be at once generous yet refined, all wrapped in a clean, dry and youthfully austere finale. This is an interesting wine as the mid-palate is quite open and lush while the finish is fairly tightly wound. Worth checking out as this should drink well both young and with up to a decade of keeping. Outstanding.
90-93 Burghound.

There is sufficient reduction to overshadow everything but a subtle floral nuance. On the palate though there is both good freshness and verve to the pretty and delicious middle weight flavours that exude a bracing salinity on the balanced, clean and dry citrus-tinged finale. This could use better depth so a few years of keeping are in order. 88-91 Burghound (2024)

This wine has minor label damage

From the distinguished vineyards beneath Te Mata Peak in Hawke's Bay, this premium 2020 Chardonnay reflects a rich, textural style synonymous with the region's finest wines. Crafted to express the character of the land, it reveals layers of ripe peach, citrus curd, roasted cashew, and subtle flinty complexity, complexed by generous French Oak 

50/50 Chardonnay and Riesling blend from the dry-farmed, organic Weka vineyard nesled between the sea and Upper Moutere. The 2024 season was warmer and drier than we usually experience in the Nelson Tasman. This intensity gave the grapes thicker skins and a bit more physiological ripeness. This wine is still unmistakably ‘Pollen’ our salty white blend. It’s textural and driven by bright acidity but
this vintage shows a slightly riper expression: waxy lemon phenolics, tropical lift, and stone fruit through the mid-palate,finishing with that signature saline complexity. Wild fermented and aged in large format neutral oak for a year followed by 6 months in bottle prior to release, unfined and unfiltered.

Whitehaven’s single vineyard range of wines speak to the importance of terroir in creating unique, premium quality wines, and allow us to showcase outstanding, smaller parcels of fruit identified by our winemakers each vintage. Reflecting the exclusive nature of these wines, each bottle is individually numbered. ‘Fossil Block’ is the name of the vineyard block where fruit for this wine is sourced – named for the ancient Awatere river fossils found at the site.

We have used a lightweight bottle to lessen this wine’s impact on the environment.

Colour / Appearance: Pale-straw yellow.

Aroma / Bouquet: The wine possesses a unique aromatic profile, reflecting where it is grown – the essence of terroir. Lifted and refined, with floral characteristics, white stone fruit and subtle crystalline, flinty and earthy undertones.  

Palate: Concentrated yet delicate, a thread of mineral salinity, reminiscent of river stones, runs through the palate. The distinct mineral structure supports complex stone fruit and citrus flavours. Vibrant acidity carries the wine to a long, flinty finish.  

Cellaring:  Enjoy now for its freshness and purity, or cellar for 5-7 years to reveal richer, more complex flavours and a silky texture.

Food Match: The wine’s vibrant acidity and mineral backbone pair seamlessly with fresh seafood such as oysters, seared scallops or simply grilled fish. The textural depth of the palate would also compliment roasted chicken dishes, creamy risotto, or soft-ripened cheeses.

Odyssey Wines is owned by winemaker Rebecca Salmond, who sources grapes from a number of different regions. She produces exceptionally good value wines, including this full bodied, creamy big Chardonnay from Gisborne; the fifth biggest wine region in New Zealand - and aptly named the country's Chardonnay Capital.

Perfectly sized for modern life - Radiates gold and tastes of flame-caramelised pineapple.  Flavours, tannins, and acidity have the balance and poise of a prima Ballerina.  Creamy texture with a full court-press presence and a long finish.  Dry. Beautiful.  

For the kitchen, table, deck, couch, or blanket.  Wherever you take your little luxury.

Hand-harvested.  13.5% alc/bv

A finely composed yet generous Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2025 displaying aromas of citrus blossom and grapefruit, seamlessly interwoven with subtle French oak spice.  Weighty palate and beautifully textured, layered flavours of ripe lemon curd, ginger and fresh nectarine.  Delicious!

An excellent bouquet of purity and finesse, with aromas of white peach and nectarine layered alongside lemon curd, subtle brioche, and a whisper of toasted hazelnut. A gentle thread of flinty minerality and saline freshness weaves through the nose, complemented by delicate floral notes and a touch of spice from well-integrated oak. On the palate, a dry wine with medium+ intensity, showcasing stone fruit and citrus flavours framed by fine acidity and a creamy, poised texture. The oak is understated yet supportive, adding complexity without overshadowing the fruit, while a mineral backbone and hints of struck stone speak clearly of site and season. Harmonious and precise, with a long, refined finish and excellent structure for ageing. Best drinking from late 2026 through 2035.

The Project wines unite Mission's sustainability initiatives, showcasing their enduring commitment to environmental management. 

VITICULTURE
The fruit for this wine was sustainably grown on our Gimblett Road vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels appellation of Hawke’s Bay. The low water holding capacity of the soils on the Gravels allowed the fruit to hang through early-season rain and ripen to full maturity. 

WINEMAKING

Machine-harvested and fully destemmed fruit was crushed into stainlesssteel fermenters. Fermentations were managed with daily air rummaging. The wines were tasted daily during long post-ferment macerations and pressed once optimal tannin extraction was achieved. Hard pressings were excluded. After malolactic fermentation, the wines were racked into French oak barriques and matured for nine months. 

TASTING NOTES

This wine is rich and generous with silky black berryfruits, spices and elevated floral notes with soft, approachable tannins. 

CELLAR POTENTIAL

Enjoy now, or cellar carefully for up to five years.

100% Amphora fermented - an exploration and celebration of our Moutere Clays.
A wine of tension and texture that celebrates both power & grace.
However, this wine is in no way, tense. It is serene, meditative, contemplative and confident.
The palate is lifted by a savoury lick of salt-block minerality and a whisper of summer citrus.
Unshackled from tradition, the result is a contemporary, delicious wine for the chardonnay obsessed or averse.
A complex and captivating nod to the old world.

Site: 

Rosie’s Block - Upper Moutere, Nelson
Aspect: 90m Elveation, North West Facing
Soil Type: Moutere Clay Gravels
Soil Composition: Deep sand loam, with clay content (19%). Little stone content.
Vineyard Established: 1999
Farming: Dry Farmed, Organic (Biogro: #5438)
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Clonal Selection: 548, Mendoza
Hand Harvested: 100%
Seasonal Detail: The 2023-2024 growing season was splendid, marked by a welcome return to an El Nino weather patter, and more stable weather conditions without dramatic temperature or rainfall extremes.
Summer months were dry and warm, but followed by an "autumnal" finish to the season. A superb season producing wines with fruit intensity and poise.

Winemaking:

Harvest: 15th - 21st March 2024

Processing: 100% whole bunch press. 48 hour settling.

Fermentation: 100% Wild Yeast, High solid fermentation

Fermentation Vessel: 100% Clay Amphora

Maturation: 10 months on gross lees with minimal battonage, followed by 2 months on fine lees, in a stainless steel tank.

Malolactic: 100% natural spring malo

Fining: None Filtration: Coarse Vegan: Yes

Bottling Analysis: 13.5% Alc, 3.25 pH, 6.4 g/L TA, Dry

Full Bottle Weight: 1,165 g

An assemblage of different parcels on marl and limestone soils in Gevingey, 35yo vines on average, facing west. Vinified and aged in foudres with no bâtonnage, the wine was bottled in July the following year. This is a zippy and lean style of chardonnay that is always great. 

Notes on the producer

Natives of the Jura, both Pauline and Géraud’s families owned tiny plots (used to make wine for home consumption) and spending time in the vines in their childhood was enough to give them the wine bug. They met while studying winemaking in Dijon and created Domaine des Marnes Blanches when they returned to the Jura in 2006. They farmed organically from the word go and have added (some planted) parcels along the way to reach a total of 12ha today, spread across three towns in the Sud-Revermont (south of the Côtes-du-Jura AC).

They recently built a new winery off the main road in Ste-Agnès which gives them plenty of space and allows them to vinify and age every parcel separately. Wild yeast fermentation is the norm, wines are fermented in stainless steel and then aged in minimum 5yo 228 to 600ltr barrels. Sulphur is used sparsely for the whites (around 20mg/l total) or not at all for the reds.

Sliced apples, pears, lemon rind and honeysuckle come through the nose and palate. Medium to full bodied with a creamy and crunchy finish. Intense acidity and minerality, like a solid Chablis.