• French oak
• Ripe tropical fruit
• Saboury smoke
• Mineral acidity

"Finesse is the keynote quality of this organically certified wine. The very classy 2022 vintage (5*) was estate-grown in the Raupo Creek Vineyard, in the Omaka Valley, hand-picked, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and lees-aged for 14 months in French oak barrels (23 per cent new). Bright, light yellow/green, it is fragrant and mouthfilling, with concentrated stonefruit flavours, finely integrated oak, fresh acidity, and impressive vigour, intensity and complexity. Still youthful, with obvious potential, it's well worth cellaring to mid-2025+" Michael Cooper, Nov 2023

"A complex and enticing bouquet of yellow fleshed stone fruits, grapefruit and toasty barrel with a wood smoke and spice quality then  raw cashew and brazil-nut butter suggestions. Equally complex and delicious on the palate with a purity of fruit at the core, judicious use of oak and flavours that reflect the bouquet present a wine of quality. Fine tannins and plenty of acidity set in a place a sound structure with a light warming alcohol. Well made, dry on the finish and ready. Best drinking from early 2024 through 2029" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Nov 2023

"Round yet focused, fruity yet flinty best describes the 2022 Chardonnay Reserve. While expansive initially, it ties up tightly with zesty acidity – the wine equivalent of jazz hands. Everything is in balance – oak, fruit, acid, with a long finish. It's a well-judged wine, particularly in light of the season" Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine, Apr 2024

"Tangy, smooth-textured chardonnay with lemon curd, lime zest, green apple and nicely restrained spicy oak characters. Lively, highenergy wine supported by mouthwatering acidity that drives a lengthy finish" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Nov 2023

A wholly complete expression of Chardonnay, that brings together poise, structure and concentration. Considered picking and mindful use of oak has created a wine of great balance, that shows both ripe tropical fruit and savoury, smokey complexity and finishes with defined mineral acidity. Bone dry and with a low pH, this wine will age beautifully for many years to come.

Our clay rich Raupo vineyard, farmed following organic and biodynamic principles is located in the centre of the Omaka Valley. This vineyard has a gentle north-west facing aspect and enjoys high sunshine hours and minimal rain.

2022 will be remembered for its challenging nature, which kept us on our toes after a run of remarkably effortless vintages in a row. Dry, stable weather and over flowering lead to an abundant fruit set, and with consistent small rain events we enjoyed fantastic vigour across the whole vineyard. Leading into the harvest period the region endured some significant rainfall events, which increased berry and bunch size, but also disease pressure, unfortunately. Luckily we had an excellent team working tirelessly in the vineyard to mitigate this and also crop thin throughout the whole vineyard, with an extra focus on the Pinot Noir. We started picking Pinot Noir on 16th March and finished picking with a botrytis style Riesling on 19th May. It must be said, after the early and fast and furious nature of the previous vintages, a vintage that was a touch later and spread out between each variety was really welcomed. With a great picking team and a focus solely on the Raupo vineyard, we were able to pick each plot before any real disease pressure took a hold.

Certified organic grapes were selectively harvested by hand in the middle of March, with only the clean bunches being picked. The fruit was 100% whole bunch pressed and the subsequent juice settled in tank overnight before racking into oak puncheons, whereby it fermented naturally for 10-12 weeks. The wine then completed malolactic fermentation naturally. After 14 months in oak on lees, the components were racked, blended and filtered prior to bottling. The overall blend has 23% new French oak.