Huia Chardonnay 2023

Huia Chardonnay brings a generous, layered take on Marlborough Chardonnay, combining white and yellow peach, grapefruit and crisp apple with roasted nuts, vanilla and a subtle flinty lees note. Fruit from Huia's Home Block in the Central Wairau Valley is handpicked and barrel fermented, building creamy texture while juicy acidity keeps everything lively and composed. It is a smart choice for Chardonnay drinkers who enjoy richness without heaviness, and will sit very happily alongside roast chicken, creamy seafood, hard cheeses or a plate of crisp fried oysters.

What the winery says:

The 2023 season began with unsettled conditions during flowering, followed by a long, warm and relatively dry summer that produced excellent quality fruit. Chardonnay from Huia's Home Block was handpicked, whole bunch pressed and cold settled before being racked into a mix of puncheons and old and new barriques. Fermentation used both organic and wild yeasts, followed by wild malolactic fermentation in spring. The finished wine layers toasted hazelnut, orange peel, charred grapefruit, white peach and tropical fruit with crisp apple, shortbread and juicy acidity.

What the experts say:

Cameron Douglas MS, 93 Points, Excellent (2023)
“An excellent bouquet and palate with fresh white and yellow peach then apple and grapefruit flavours. Some fine fruit tannins adds texture to the core of fresh and lush fruit flavours, medium++ acid line and length. Delicious and lively, flavours of nut and brazil-nut-butter, vanilla and a fine lees flinty quality. Decent length, floral nd with a light cheesy-lactic quality. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2030+.”

David Walker Bell, WineFolio, 94/100 (2022 Vintage)
"A creamy texture adds a softness, as the oak makes itself known, and a touch of tannin too. Good concentration and length makes for a pretty serious expression."