2023 Charteris Wines Central Otago Chardonnay

Ripe citrus and stone fruit characters. Softly spiced with daubs of creme fraiche meadow flowers oatmeal crushed stone nougat flint and citrus curd. Slinky textural sway and bright mineral cadence with an array of pure citrus peach and nectarine tones sliding seamlessly over the palate in a graceful arc.

CZK 2,333.00

In any 6 mixed bottles from this Winery

CZK 2,025.00 In any 12 mixed bottles from this Winery

Delivery Included

Taxes, Duties & Insurance Included

Delivery Included

Taxes, Duties & Insurance Included

Minimum 6 mixed bottle purchase per winery, in quantities of 6

Winter 2022 in Central Otago took a while to get going after a cool and quite dry May June and July turned cold and wet good weather for a surf trip to Bali not so for pruning. August arrived with warmer temperatures and pruning was resumed in reasonable conditions before another cold snap early October which saw some nervous frost fighting nights around budburst. From there on the season built on a warming trend with a mild spring and warm and dry conditions through January and February. A classic summer. However a couple of very frosty nights in late March put us all on notice again and harvest was underway in early April. While there were some frost challenges Hawkesbury vineyard copped a belter we were able to harvest some excellent grapes from all our source blocks.

More Information

Producer	Charteris Wines
Region	Hunter Valley
Varietal	Chardonnay
Vintage	2023
Alcohol %	13.5
Wine Style	Single vineyard selection from the Willowbell Vineyard at QueensberryWhole Bunch Pressed30 New French oak Puncheons with the balance older barriques
Bottle Volume	750 ML

Tasting Notes

Golden yellow with a croissant like hue. There is a lot going on here Custard Apple oatmeal lightly roasted Almonds and some exotic fruits guava feijoa rock melon and quince. Hints of burnt butter and Gardenia adding expressive aromatic depth. Flint wet rocks and a faint hint of struck match providing intriguing complexity. Yellow fruits straight away with a tight citrus spine of front-end acidity giving way to creamy lees derived texture. Golden Queen peaches Persian nougat and clover honey fill the mid palate. Richly textured with a creamy line woven through a fine persistent acid line on the finish.

Winemakers Notes

As our search continues for new terroir amongst the nooks and crannies of the Central Otago landscape we only further build our knowledge base of the highlights and challenges this place gives us. The 2023 harvest sees the first grapes from the Willowbell vineyard at Queensberry come into the fold. This is a new vineyard with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and from this first harvest looks very promising. While we have had something of a hiatus from Chardonnay in Central Otago this tiny block will ensure we have an ongoing and exciting source. This rendition of deep south Chardonnay is a mix of clones 548 Bernard 95 and Mendoza ensuring plenty of fruit expression with fine acid carry. Whole bunch pressing with minimal settling before a rough rack to puncheons for wild ferment ensuring maximum potential for fruit and complexity. Eleven months on yeast lees and a full Malolactic fermentation complete the cycle of maturation before bottling. Its good to be back on the Chardonnay horse here...

Food Pairings

A great match would be roast chicken with buttery potatoes and a squeeze of lemonthe crispy skin and savoury depth complement the wines toasted almond and burnt butter notes while the lemon lifts its bright citrus acidity.It would also work wonderfully with creamy pasta dishes like fettuccine with mushrooms or a light parmesan cream sauce where the wines leesy texture mirrors the richness of the dish. For something more relaxed even grilled salmon or a seafood chowder would shine as the wines balance of acidity and creaminess cuts through the richness while enhancing those delicate slightly sweet ocean flavours.