The wine is packed full of ripe white flesh nectarine and citrus, with layers of toasted oatmeal and brioche from extended lees contact. The palate is rich and concentrated, with a plush, creamy texture that builds through the mid-palate and carries into a long, generous finish.
Vintage Notes: This vintage was another special one in North Canterbury. Naturally low crops and a long, dry autumn gave us pristine fruit with a perfect, unhurried ripening curve. Our Chardonnay block was cropped at just 7 tonnes per hectare and picked in early April at 23.5 Brix. The fruit came in with real concentration and purity, setting the wine up beautifully from the start.
Winemaking: The fruit was 100% barrel fermented in French barriques, with weekly bâtonnage to build texture and complexity. The wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation, spending nine months in barrel. It was taken out in January for stabilisation and bottled in February 2026.
Nicky's Food Match: I recently tried this alongside pan-fried pork and chive dumplings, crispy on the bottom, juicy inside, with a splash of chilli oil, and it was an unexpected but brilliant match. The wine's richness and texture stood right up to that savoury, slightly spiced flavour. If you're after something a little more classic, it's just as good with a fresh poke bowl, the wine's acidity cuts through the richness of the fish and sesame beautifully.
Cellaring: Drinking beautifully right now, with the richness and structure to keep developing over the next 4 to 5 years.
