Te Whare Ra Chardonnay 2022

Te Whare Ra Chardonnay comes from one of Marlborough's true pioneer sites - a small, certified organic vineyard in Renwick that the Flowerday family has run since 2003, home to some of the region's oldest vines. This 2022 release blends two Chardonnay clones from the TWR home block, including Mendoza vines planted back in 1979. Expect grapefruit, toasted almond and white nectarine on the nose, with smoky, savoury notes and a lift of white florals, running into a complex, supple palate of fresh fig and white stone fruit backed by mineral tension and well-integrated toasty oak. Marlborough's long, cool ripening season keeps the natural acidity high, giving the wine real drive alongside its richness. A serious, age-worthy Chardonnay that rewards a bit of patience.

What the winery says:

Te Whare Ra's home block sits in Renwick, in the heart of Marlborough, home to some of the region's oldest surviving vines - Chardonnay planted on the Mendoza clone back in 1979, with a smaller planting of Clone 6 added in the mid-1980s. The 2022 release blends fruit from both. The growing season was what the winery calls a 'Goldilocks vintage': good flowering conditions, moderate crops, no frost issues and a dry, even summer, with harvest running from mid-March into early April. Fruit was hand-picked and hand-sorted, destemmed, crushed and gently air-bag pressed, with soft pressings blended back into the free-run juice before settling overnight and filling to oak the next morning. All parcels were fermented in large-format French oak demi-muids, 25% new, spent a long time on full lees for texture, went through full malolactic fermentation, and matured in barrel for ten months before blending. The wine is unfined. Expect lifted pink grapefruit, toasted almond and white stone fruit aromas with savoury notes, white florals and a hint of spice, running into a complex, fleshy palate of grapefruit and ripe stone fruit, savoury mineral notes, well-integrated oak and a lingering, ripe acidity. It's 13% ABV, pH 3.35, TA 5.5g/L and bone dry, and the winery says it will keep developing with careful cellaring for four to six years.

What the experts say:

Cameron Douglas MS, 95/100 (2022 Vintage)
"Youthful and taut bouquet with scents of grapefruit and white peach, red apple and flinty stony qualities. The youth and power, some concentration and drive, purity of fruit and tension in the style. On the palate a delicious wine driven by the flinty red apple and citrus qualities then layers of spice and mineral from soil and a light measure of oak. Acidity and fine fruit tannins deliver a perfect mouthfeel and freshness, while the core fruit flavours tease out the breadth and complexity. A wine to keep in the cellar for another 18 months to 2 years then imbibe from 2026 through 2030+"

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 95/100 (2022 Vintage)
"Beautifully composed with elegant complexity, the wine shows ripe stone fruit, rockmelon, lemon peel, nougat and almond meal nuances on the nose. The palate displays excellent weight and presence, splendidly framed by creamy texture and finely pitched acidity, leading to a persistent, expansive finish."

Stephen Wong MW, 93/100 (2022 Vintage)
"Green apple, sweet herb and celery seed aromas create a salivating backdrop for the mid-weight palate with concentrated, crisp white peach and grapefruit flavours that coat the flinty, pithy structure of this expressively mineral wine. The acidity emphasises the greener parts of this chardonnay but also gives it great drive and length. Stylish and quite 'Chablisien' in interpretation."

James Suckling, 92/100 (2022 Vintage)
"An attractive purity of fruit, with ripe green apples. Stone and hints of citrus and brioche on both the nose and palate. It's medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a medium-fruity finish."