Winemaker Notes
Notes of brioche, almond, peach and vivid citrus that culminate in white florals. There's a really busy palate: multi-dimensional, lots of material, but at the same time driving through is a precise, linear wine with a tight focus. Bright acidity contributes to this, as does the detailed and saline finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A crisp yet dense chardonnay with dried apples, honey, minerals and hints of cedar and acacia on the nose. It’s aromatic yet reserved, with a lively palate and lovely fine phenols that give it length and energy. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
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Vinous
The 2024 Chardonnay Bannockburn has excellent clarity. It is delicately perfumed, subtle and focused with a fine texture. Restrained floral and citrus aromas join the merest touch of nutty oak, which complements the fruit. A line of bright acidity pervades through to the scented, savoury finish of medium length.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Home to the globe’s most southerly vineyards, which are cultivated below the 45th parallel, Central Otago is a true one-of-a-kind wine growing region, but not only because of its extreme location.
Central Otago is more dependent on one single variety than any other region in New Zealand—and it isn’t Sauvignon blanc. They don’t even make Sauvignon blanc there.
Pinot Noir claims nearly 75% of the region’s vineyards with Pinot Gris coming in a far second place and Riesling behind it. This is also New Zealand’s only wine region with a continental climate, giving it more diurnal and seasonal temperature shifts than any other.
The subregion of Bannockburn has enjoyed the most success historically but the area’s exceptional growth has moved to the promising regions of Cromwell/Bendigo and Alexandra districts. Central Otago is known for its fruity and full-bodied Pinot noir. With the freedom to experiment here, growers and winemakers are easily exhibiting the area’s great potential.