Seresin Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2023

Seresin Estate Reserve Chardonnay is a focused, savoury Marlborough Chardonnay from the clay-rich Raupo Creek Vineyard in the Omaka Valley. The 2023 combines white peach, green pear and citrus with flinty reduction, barrel spice and a smoky edge, while firm, slate-like acidity keeps the wine taut and poised. Hand-picked, wild-fermented and shaped by lees and French oak, it has plenty of depth without turning heavy. This is the richer, more structured side of Marlborough Chardonnay, with freshness firmly in the frame. Try it with roast chicken, grilled snapper or a creamy mushroom dish.

What the winery says:

The certified organic Chardonnay was hand-harvested from Seresin's Raupo Creek Vineyard in mid-March. The fruit was 100% whole-bunch pressed in two batches, with one portion settled overnight before transfer to oak puncheons and the other pressed directly to barrel. Both batches fermented with wild yeasts for 10-12 weeks and completed malolactic fermentation naturally. The wine then spent 12 months in oak on lees, with 45% new French oak, before blending and a further two months in tank. Seresin describes the finished wine as powerful, poised and concentrated, with savoury, smoky complexity and slate-like acidity.

What the experts say:

Cameron Douglas MS, 94 Points, Excellent (2023)
“A very enticing bouquet filled with scents of lmeon and green pear, apple and white peach - all framed by a flinty positive reduction.”