Soho Carter Chardonnay 2024

SOHO Carter Chardonnay is a richly textured Waiheke Island Chardonnay with plenty of polish and personality. Ripe peach, nectarine and citrus lead into creamy, nutty and gently toasty oak notes, while fresh acidity and a mineral edge keep the generous palate composed. Hand-harvested fruit and a measured use of new oak give Carter both weight and detail rather than simple richness. It is a smart choice for Chardonnay drinkers who enjoy a fuller style with freshness still firmly in the picture. Try it with roast chicken, grilled snapper or creamy seafood dishes.

What the winery says:

The 2024 Carter Chardonnay comes from Waiheke Island and was hand harvested. The wine sees 37% new oak, using barrels from Alain Fouquet and François Frères. Its profile centres on concentrated nectarine, creamy panna cotta and roasted hazelnut, supported by subtle toasty oak and fresh mineral notes before a long, linear finish. The wine is 13.5% alcohol and sealed under screwcap.

What the experts say:

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 95/100 and Five Stars (2024)
“Gorgeously poised with complexity, the wine shows ripe peach, lemon peel, vanilla, almond meal, and savoury pastry notes on the nose. It's concentrated and richly textured in the mouth, delivering excellent weight and silky flow. Multi-layered and harmonious with a sustained, satisfying finish. At its best: now to 2032.”

Cameron Douglas MS, 93/100 and Excellent (2024)
“An excellent bouquet of fresh peach and red apple, lots of vanilla cream and apple custard followed by scents and flavours of grapefruit and wood spices, some gentle smoky leesy layers and grapefruit. Nice weight and mouthfeel with a near full-bodied satin-cream texture, contrasting acidity shows off the wine’s youth, and flavours led by citrus then stone fruits, wood inputs and smoke. Well made with best drinking from 2026 through 2030.”