Chardonnay, Pyramid Valley 2023
Cameron Douglas MS 95; James Suckling 93
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Why this wine
Old vines planted in the 1980s on North Canterbury clay, wild-fermented and split between new oak and concrete. It is the rare New Zealand Chardonnay that carries weight and salinity at the same time, and it is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
At a glance
- Grape
- Chardonnay
- Region
- North Canterbury, New Zealand
- Alcohol
- 14.00%
- Body
- Full
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Poultry & Pork, Seafood, Rich & Creamy Dishes
How it tastes
Grilled nuts, citrus fruit, florals and a hint of lemon rind on a slightly hazy, lemon-gold wine. Mouth-watering acidity drives it with real focus, while toasted nuts and a creamy texture give body and weight through to a fully ripe, saline finish. Chardonnay 100%.
The producer
Pyramid Valley works the limestone and clay slopes of a high-altitude estate farm at Waikari in North Canterbury, a site Mike and Claudia Elze Weersing spent fifteen years searching for before buying it in 2000. 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. The fruit is old-vine Mendoza-clone Chardonnay from Waipara Springs, grown on Omihi clay and planted between 1982 and 1990. It is hand-picked and fermented with natural vineyard yeasts, then aged twelve months with 20% in new French oak barrels and 38% in a concrete tulipe, before settling a further five months on light lees in concrete and bottling unfined and unfiltered.
Food and drinking
Best at 10-12C, poured into a broad glass rather than decanted. It suits roast chicken, grilled turbot, crab linguine and a mature hard cheese, and should drink well over the next three to five years. Sealed under screwcap. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.