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Reed Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 750ml

Final Bottles!

ACCOLADES

5 STARS - ‘The impressive, savoury 2023 vintage was hand-picked at the confluence of the Waihopai and Wairau valleys, fermented and matured for 11 months in French oak puncheons (partly new), and bottled unfined and unfiltered.  Pale lemon, with a subtle, inviting bouquet, it is a weighty, very finely textured wine, with ripe, peachy, citrusy, slightly mealy flavours, vibrant acidity, and a well-rounded, seamless finish.  Full of youthful energy, it's well worth cellaring to 2027+.’ MICHAEL COOPER MA ONZM   

94 POINTS - ‘An excellent bouquet and palate, saline and fresh, stone fruit and wood smoke, mineral and baking spice scents. A satin-cream mouthfeel as the wine touches followed by flavours of grapefruit peel the peach, apple then a layer of spices from wood and lees effect. Harmoniously dry with complexity and texture. Best drinking from day of purchase or early 2025 through 2028+.’ CAMERON DOUGLAS MS  

17.5 POINTS - ‘Marked struck-match flinty aroma. Not excessive unless you don't like this style of barrel-fermented Chardonnay. Like flinty Meursault, this has a clementine aroma and flavour as well as the creamy/mealy richness of the oak. Both mouth-filling and precise with great freshness and length, deep in citrus, just slightly toasty on the aftertaste but not oaky. Totally engaging and hard to spit, with, I suspect, long ageing potential.’ JULIA HARDING MW | JANCISROBINSON.COM  

94 POINTS ‘At this young stage, the 2023 Chardonnay Reed Vineyard shows its winemaking choices in its struck flint aromas and smoky bacon-like flavors. Some might find that off-putting, but those who like their Chardonnays funky rather than fruit-filled will enjoy this. The 2023 has a piercing personality and a line of acidity that sings through its pure core. You can expect substance and richness of texture on the mid-palate and through to the finish. Savory, smoky flavors and touches of white stone fruit and citrus linger long. This is young and firm—another year in bottle would serve it well.’ REBECCA GIBB MW | VINOUS.COM  

96 POINTS - ‘A single-vineyard, high-volume chardonnay with apples, smoke, lightly toasted vanilla and matchstick. Full-bodied, yet there is tension and intensity. Shows excellent length, going on and on. Drink or hold. Screw cap.’ JAMES SUCKLING   

94 POINTS - ‘An impressive combination of weight and richness with mineral/gunflint characters adding extra interest to citrus, wood smoke and green apple flavours. An appealing texture with just a hint of hardness on the finish.’ BOB CAMPBELL MW  

93 POINTS - ‘Struck flint leaps from the glass with grilled lemon aromas tailing closely behind. This is a tight, acid-driven, modern chardonnay with deliberate reduction and restrained smoky oak use which allows the fairly ripe, mid-weight citrus and stone-fruit flavours to play second fiddle to the pithy and firmly chalky minerality. Long, linear but not lean, this just manages to stay on the right side of edgy and will unfold slowly in the years to come.’ STEPHEN WONG    

93 POINTS - ‘The 2023 Reed Chardonnay leads with toasty reduction, curry leaves, yellow peach, salted nuts and brine. In the mouth, the wine is carried in this same style, and it works so well. The curry-leaf character really is an accentuated character here, so if you're not into it, it won't work so well for you; but I happen to love it, so I am enjoying the wine immensely. This demands a full-sized Burgundy glass to really make the most of the extension of flavor through the finish. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.’ ERIN LARKIN | WINE ADVOCATE