A Marlborough wine, blended from four different clones from grapes grown at the producer’s home vineyard in the lower Wairau Valley, the Wrekin Vineyard on the clay hillsides of the Southern Valleys and the Windmill Block at Dumgree in the Awatere Valley. A bright straw gold colour in the glass. An approachable but complex scent of grapefruit, nectarine, fig, oat biscuit, melon, tarragon and preserved lemon. Dry, with a tightness and energy to the first sip. Backed up with a saline acidity that charges through the palate, direct and linear. Weight comes from a creamy texture that wraps around the plush fruit and balances the crispness of the entry. More spice, toasty and warming at the finish that has good persistence. 93pts
Astrolabe Chardonnay 2023
