• French oak
• Ripe apricot
• Roasted hazelnut
• Succulent & creamy

"Elegantly complex and inviting, the bouquet shows ripe apricot, melon, subtle vanilla and roasted hazelnut aromas, followed by a delightfully flavoursome palate offering succulent fruit flavours with creamy texture and beautifully infused acidity, finishing long and delicious. At its best: now to 2028" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jul 2024

"Bright, varietal, youthful and pure fruited bouquet with scents of white peach and fresh red apple flesh, a mix of fine lees and softly spoken aromas of wood add complexity to a vibrant youthful frame. Lovely impact and texture as the wine touches the palate, the purity of reflects the bouquet with pomaceous fruits, then citrus with a grapefruit note, and a light seam of flintiness. Fine tannins, medium+ acid line and lengthy youthful finish. Best drinking from late 2024 through 2028+. Excellent value!" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jun 2024

"Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is soft and elegant, with aromas of stonefruit, red apple, subtle toastiness and delicate spice. Medium-full bodied, aromas of peach, nectarine, and red apple are ripe, melded with a touch of grapefruit peels; lightly roasts almond, popcorn kernels and delicate spice. The mouthfeel is smooth-flowing and effortless; fresh and seamless acidity provides a long and elegant thread, lingering to an appetising finish. An excellent value Chardonnay with elegance and purity" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Jun 2024

Our Rapaura Springs Reserve Chardonnay is rich and flavourful. Each bottle is bursting with honeysuckle, white peach, nectarine and fresh citrus, all complemented by toasty vanilla and subtle spiced oak characters.

Our Reserve wines are expertly crafted from selected vineyards with impressive flavour concentration and palate weight. Each bottle of Rapaura Springs tells the story of a lifetime. Of water and wine, and of generations of family working with nature. Our label depicts the rocky aquifer at our home vineyard, and the pristine springs that connect it to our land. We make exceptional wines that reflect our remarkable landscapes, pure waterways and passionate people.

The 2023 growing season started with above average bunch numbers in most districts in Marlborough. Unsettled and cooler weather over flowering resulted in loose and lighter bunches, with the net effect of producing average yields across most varieties and regions. The weather around the time of veraison was unstable, and at times threatening. We just missed out on the destruction of the cyclone that hit the east coast of the North Island. The weather then settled into a pattern reminiscent of the harvests in the early 2000s.

The nights were particularly cool, and this helped to arrest any small levels of botrytis that had started in the early unsettled weather. It was a vintage where patience was rewarded and those who waited harvested fully ripe grapes with concentrated flavours and classic acidity. After harvest, the Chardonnay fruit was pressed, racked clear, and the juice fermented with 25% new oak. A partial secondary malolactic fermentation has softened the wine and added extra texture and complexity to the palate.