Lifted aromas of fresh cut culinary herbs, white flowers, lavender and lemon curd, with nuances of nutty spicy oak. As the wine opens, aromas of hazelnut, lilac, jasmine, white peach and orange blossom emerge. The palate is super intense and beautifully defined. Complex fruit aromas mingle with savoury depth, as the palate is driven by bright citrus line and length. The tightness and power to the finish is outstanding. There is a delightfully fine texture, beautiful acid thread and super fine phenolics on the finish. Power, intensity, elegance and grace. Cellar 6-12 years.

From the winery:

"The 2020 single vineyard, barrel fermented Chardonnay offers sophisticated soft wine with restrained flavours of grapefruit, melon and a subtle blend of nut, spicy oak and lees characters.

Barrel fermented and Barrel aged in new and older French oak add complexity and texture."

Fermented on skins for 190 days this wine is Grown traditionally and fermented without intervention. A pure expression of The Opou Vineyard, home to Chardonnay for 50 years now telling us its stories with a new voice. Unfined and unfiltered, this uncompromised wine offers a perfect journey from our place to your glass. With love and gratitude.

Alc 13.5%

Vegan and Vegetarian Friendly

Commercial description

The Drinking
Bright, fresh, varietal and attractive bouquet with a pure fruit core of white fleshed stone fruits then citrus, some floral notes then sweet oak. Nice weight and texture from occasional barrel stirring and a mix of seasoned and new oak, hazel nut, with some macadamia and vanilla in the background. Fine dusty wood tannins keep the texture flowing while acidity and alcohol carry flavour through to a lengthy finish.
— Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier (The Shout Magazine, Sept 2021)

The Growing
This was a hot and dry vintage with almost zero rain right through summer. Dry farming practices since planting day, along with being herbicide free under vine, has encouraged the vine roots to grow deep into the sandy Esk River loam in search of water and nutrients, giving a more expressive wine with intensely flavoured smaller berries. A 70/30 mix of two clones; 548 and 95, this wine will only improve with careful cellaring for another 6+ years.

The Making
Hand picked grapes were gently whole bunch pressed before some of the juice was pumped direct from the juice tray into barrels and the rest was settled over night. It was then transferred into a mix of 20% new and seasoned French barriques and hogsheads and fermented with indigenous yeast. Post primary ferment, barrel stirring commenced every so often, to keep the yeast in suspension, adding a layer of complexity and imparting some yeasty goodness. The wine was barrel aged on lees for 11 months and malolactic fermentation happened naturally, with no fining and minimal sulphur added prior to bottling.

Winemaker David Clouston blended grapes from The Spring and Brookby Hill vineyards to make this full bodied, creamy, big Chardonnay, which was fermented using indigenous yeasts with lees stirring and full malolactic fermentation.

Maturation for 11 months aging in new and seasoned French oak barrels as well as a concrete egg adds smoothness and savoury flavours to this wine, which was bottled unfiltered. 

If you're a fan of big buttery styles of Chardonnay, try this taste sensation from Marlborough.

Larry McKenna loves a Chardonnay made in a fresh, crisp style with creamy texture but balanced by bright acidity, a medium to full body and a long finish. So, if big buttery Chardonnays are your thing, this wine will meet your hopes in a textural fashion. Which is another way of saying, try this great white made in a fresh style.

It's made from grapes grown on Te Muna Road, Martinborough, which were planted in 1999. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation with lees stirring to enhance texture and it aged for 11 months in French oak, 20% of it new.

Established in 1864 by Jean Désiré Féraud, Monte Christo is the birthplace of Central Otago wine. Our wines are made with 100% estate-grown fruit sourced from our vineyards across three distinct sub-regions, the Alexandra Basin, Bannockburn and Pisa. Utilising sustainable farming practices and minimal intervention methods in the winery, the outcome is elegant, refined, and impeccably balanced wines epitomising the terroir of Central Otago.

Tasting note An elegant yet complex Chardonnay with fresh lemon, green pear, white peach, hawthorn flowers, river rock and subtle baking spices.

VINEYARDS Vineyard: Davishon (69%) 

Subregion: Alexandra Basin 

Elevation: 160m 

Clone(s): 6, Mystery clone 

Soil: Blackmans alluvial sand, silt and gravels derived from schist and sandstone

WINEMAKING 

Brix: 21.6 

Fermentation: Wild yeasts in 72%  neutral oak and 28% stainless steel, 100% malolactic  

Aging: 11 months in 72% neutral French oak, 28% stainless steel 

Pale gold in colour, Waipara Downs Chardonnay opens with ripe nectarine, lemon zest and white peach. Subtle toasted French oak and almond meal add savoury depth, while leesy texture builds mid-palate weight. Fine, chalky acidity drives a long, mineral finish. A poised, cool-climate style showing purity, elegance and gentle creamy richness. A stunner at the price.

Matahiwi winery's South Series refers to wines made from its most southernmost vineyards; in the Wairarapa where cooler nights result in crisper wines. This full bodied Chardonnay is a great expression of those two factors, balanced by creamy mouth texture and a touch of hazelnut intermingled with oatmeal and other complex flavours. Stunning value too. 

Made from a blend of 60% Waiheke and 40% Gisborne Chardonnay grapes, this wine is perfectly balanced with a delicious long finish highlighting the almost 12 months the wine has spent in barrel.

Rich and concentrated with nectarine, lime and passion-fruit with toasty vanilla slight, buttery element and butterscotch undertones.

Family owned Beach House Winery turns out some of our best sellers in store at Regional, including this creamy, full bodied, super duper good value Chardonnay from Hawke's Bay. It delivers exceptional drinking for the price thanks to winemaker Chris Harrison, who founded and owns the brand with his family. 

Hunter's Chardonnay offers incredibly good value for money. Complex, consistent and creamy, it has crisp notes that add great balance to such a modestly priced, affordable wine. 

Fermentation in 500 litre French oak puncheons with wild yeasts provides a smooth, full body to this impressive Chardonnay, which is made from grapes grown on three different vineyards in Marlborough.

Grapes in this wine were grown in Rapaura, Renwick and Omaka sub regions of Marlborough, all on vineyards that the Hunter's team has used for many years now. This wine is incredibly consistent in style with richly flavoursome citrus, nectarine and creamy flavour notes, supported by a firm backbone of acidity which adds drive, length and freshness to every succulent sip.

What the critics say

Aotearoa Regional Wine Competition, October 2021

4.5 stars – Winestate Magazine, October 2021

Gold, 94/100 – New World Wine Awards, August 2021

93/100 – The Shout, Cameron Douglas MS, March 2021

WINEMAKING NOTES 

The fruit for this wine is a blend of Clone 15 (32%), Mendoza (23%), Clone 548 (22%), Clone 95 (21%) and Clone 1066 (2%) grown on the sandy silt soils of the lower terrace of the Askerne vineyard. Hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, the juice was transferred to barrel for fermentation. The barrels were a mixture of both wild and inoculated ferments and 75% of the blend completed malolactic fermentation.  The wine was subsequently aged for 10 months with lees stirring to add volume and complexity. The final blend has a 25% new French oak component, and 18% 2nd fill. 

ANALYSIS pH 3.36 TA 5.7g/L Alc 13.0% RS 1.4g/L 

TASTING NOTE 

Beautifully layered aromas of nectarine and peach, lemon curd, sweet scented oak spice, savoury creaminess and perfumed florals fill the nose. The palate is rich and juicy, with generous fruit concentration, spiced oak flavours and a deliciously long finish.

It's no secret that great Chardonnay is made in beautiful rolling Moutere Hills in Nelson, which is home to the clay based vineyard where this wine comes from. Hand picked grapes were pressed into French oak cuves, where they went through spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts followed by malolactic fermentation and minimal filtration at bottling. This wine is fresh, dry, full bodied and creamy, balanced by nutty and citrus flavours.