Chardonnay, Field of Fire, Pyramid Valley 2022
Wine Enthusiast 96; The Wine Front 96; James Suckling 94; Wine Spectator 90; JancisRobinson.com 90
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Why this wine
A single south-east facing block on limestone, planted at 11,111 vines per hectare and farmed biodynamically since it went in the ground. Aged oak and a long stretch on lees build texture without ever covering the minerality, which is what makes this one of the most distinctive Chardonnays in New Zealand.
At a glance
- Grape
- Chardonnay
- Region
- North Canterbury, New Zealand
- Alcohol
- 13.00%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Seafood, Poultry & Pork, Cheese
How it tastes
Green-lemon in the glass, with a complex nose of minerals, flint, lemons and limes. The palate is taut yet rich and concentrated, all lime and samphire, and fine, compact phenolics frame it and drive a long, mineral, moreish finish. Chardonnay 100%.
The producer
Pyramid Valley works the limestone and clay slopes of a high-altitude estate farm at Waikari in North Canterbury, bought by Mike and Claudia Elze Weersing in 2000 after a fifteen-year search for the right site. Good friends Brian Sheth and Steve Smith took the estate on in 2017, and Huw Kinch has guided it as estate manager and winemaker since 2018. Field of Fire is a south-east facing block planted between 2000 and 2002 at 11,111 vines per hectare, with a second planting in 2018, farmed biodynamically from inception on shallow glauconitic clays over well-drained limestone. The fruit was crushed and soaked for four hours before pressing, wild-fermented in aged French oak barrels and held twelve months on lees in barrel, then a further five months on light lees in stainless steel before bottling unfined and unfiltered in September 2023. Under the influence of La Nina the vines grew and flowered well and yields were solid; 200mm of rain in February was a worry, but a dry March and April let the fruit hang to the end of April and reach optimum ripeness.
Food and drinking
Best at 10-12C in a broad glass, no decanting needed. It suits oysters, grilled scallops, roast chicken with lemon and a fresh goat's cheese, and should drink well for five to ten years. Sealed under screwcap. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.