Wild Earth Central Otago Chardonnay 2021

Wild Earth Central Otago Chardonnay 2021French oak Tropical fruit Citrus & ginger Long finish "Splendidly composed and elegantly expressed with apricot, rockmelon, vanilla, oatmeal and roasted cashew aromas, it's wonderfully weighted on the palate offering richly textured mouthfeel combined with stylish oak infusion and well pitched acidity. Gorgeously charming and engaging. At its best: now to 2027" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2022 "Initially restrained but opens quickly in the glass to show

• French oak
• Tropical fruit
• Citrus & ginger
• Long finish

"Splendidly composed and elegantly expressed with apricot, rockmelon, vanilla, oatmeal and roasted cashew aromas, it's wonderfully weighted on the palate offering richly textured mouthfeel combined with stylish oak infusion and well-pitched acidity. Gorgeously charming and engaging. At its best: now to 2027" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2022

"Initially restrained but opens quickly in the glass to show attractive aromas of lemon peel, golden delicious, peach skin, vanilla pod and white pepper. Taut, fresh and zesty but with a dense core of fruit and a lingering dry finish. Very drinkable now but the extra time in the bottle will allow further harmony and integration" NZ Wine Rater

"Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is welcoming with ripe aromas of pear and stonefruit intermixed spice, warm butter and flint. Medium-full bodied, aromas of stonefruit, pear, and citrus filled the palate, followed by grapefruit zest, warming spice and a hint of creamy balance. The fruit is forwarded with good concentration, supported by lively acidity. Subtle oak elements contributed spices, fine-phenolic texture and structure. This Chardonnay has generous lush fruit, acid tension, barrel spice details, and is fine-textured. Match with kingfish steak and grilled chicken thigh over the next 3-4 years" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, Apr 2022

"Very attractive cool climate bouquet with scents of citrus and mineral, a touch of gun-flint and fruit spice, orange peel and red apple flesh and some fine toasty barrel qualities. Weighty on the palate with a satin texture touching first followed by citrus and lees flavours that reflect the bouquet, there’s a distinctive mineral quality and fine barrel spice and lees qualities, a touch of white smoke, apple and fine wood tannins. Crisp, alivating and new. Best drinking from late 2022 through 2028" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Apr 2022

"This distinctly cool-climate, very ageworthy chardonnay was grown at Pisa and Bendigo, and fermented and matured for 10 months in French oak barriques (10% new).  Bright, light yellow/green, it is fragrant and savoury, with youthful, citrusy, peachy flavours, firm acid spine, and excellent delicacy, vigour and depth" Michael Cooper, Winestate Magazine, Apr 2022

"Dry, rich, smooth and creamy textured with layered fresh acidity adding great tension to this  Chardonnay from Central Otago, a region with many more strings to its wine bow than Pinot Noir. This wine shows the fabulous potential of Otago’s cool climate and relatively short growing season for making great quality Chardonnay with lively acidity and tension coupled with citrusy purity of flavour to make wines with succulence and a long refreshing finish. This is a top wine without a crazy price tag" Joelle Thomson, Apr 2022

There is a delicious combination of fresh citrus and tropical fruit on the nose with a touch of vanilla bean and ginger. The palate is fresh, zesty, and pure with a rich mid-palate and a long, lingering finish. The wine has seamless layers with great precision and focus - it ticks all the boxes of classic Chardonnay. Uniquely textured and fresh in its youth, this wine should develop beautifully for 10+ years.

The 2020 - 2021 growing season had a relatively warm, dry spring with some late November frosts to fight, followed by good weather at flowering resulting in excellent yields. Some rain events over the Christmas holidays kept us on our toes but autumn returned to warm temperatures allowing consistent ripening. Lower acids at lower Brix (sugars) allowed us to pick early and capture great energy and freshness in this Chardonnay. We believe the 2021 vintage is one of the best in the last decade for making white wines.

The Chardonnay grapes came from 2 elevated vineyards in the Pisa and Bendigo sub-regions, situated at 260m and 365m respectively. The older vines from Pisa provide the rich mouthfeel and the young vines from Bendigo give the wine energy and drive. Several clones  were used: 548, Mendoza, UCD15, 809 and B95. The grapes were hand-harvested respectively on the 29th of March and 8th of April 2021. The Pisa vineyard was whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeasts on full solids which adds both richness and complexity to the wine requiring minimal stirring. The Bendigo vineyard was also whole-bunch pressed with a combination of wild and cultured yeasts and was stirred weekly. A full malolactic fermentation contributes to the rich texture. The wine was fermented and aged for 10 months in 10% new French oak from the premium Troncais forest in France; the rest in older French barriques.