Winemaker Notes
An aromatic Chardonnay that displays white nectarine and toasted sourdough and lanolin aromas, the wine has a creamy texture that makes it easy to drink. Medium bodied with ripe nectarine like fruit, underlying notes of roasted almonds cashew nuts and cinnamon quills ending with a clean and crisp finish and a lovely persistent minerality and savory toastiness.
Pair the Mt. Beautiful Chardonnay with poached chicken, fresh baked salmon, Coquille St St. Jacques, and a playful perspective about life.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a classy Chard from the cool climes of North Canterbury. It's a rich, concentrated wine but one with depth and elegance. It takes its time opening, gradually revealing melon and grapefruit, backed by subtle toasty oak spice and wet stone mineral nuances. As it warms the fruit really sits in the driver's seat. The palate is highly textural and buoyed by crystalline acidity.
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.
On the central eastern coast of the South Island, Canterbury includes a collection of small and varied subregions. The region is cool and dry with low rainfall and light, infertile soils. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are well-suited here, with Pinot Gris coming in third place.