The fruit was hand-picked and hand-sorted before being crushed as whole bunches and gently pressed in a horizontal bag press. The juice was homogenised in tank before being transferred, without settling into foudre and barrels (23% new). Fermentation proceeded with ambient yeasts followed by full malolactic conversion. No additions were made, and the wine remained on its lees without sulphur for 12 months. It was then blended and
sulphured in April 2025. The wine spent a second winter on light lees in small horizontal stainless steel tanks, allowing natural settling to occur. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered in September 2025 and sealed under screwcap.

100% Chardonnay
The 2023/2024 growing season was shaped by El Niño, bringing warm, dry conditions that produced moderate yields and beautifully ripe fruit.
An especially dry finish to the season concentrated flavours and contributed to slightly higher acidities. This is the first vintage of our North Canterbury Chardonnay to include a meaningful contribution from our new plantings at Waikari, bringing added
freshness, tension and a more chiseled feel to the wine.

Drink 2026–2030

A delicious and refined Chardonnay with a distinctive chalky texture and a lovely saline backbone. The flavours are subtle yet layered, making this a wine that is more about texture and complexity than overt fruitiness. As the wine opens in the glass, its flavours gradually unfold and gain depth with exposure to air. A Chardonnay of understated power, elegance, and poise.