Wild Earth Wines
Chardonnay 2023 750ml

This concentrated, bright and citrus-laden Chardonnay showcases the advantages of growing grapes at elevation in a warmer season. There is a delicious combination of fresh citrus, orange zest and apple on the nose, while the palate has incredible fruit purity and exquisite freshness. Each layer comes together in wonderful harmony delivering a very balanced and delicious wine.  Intensely focused and fresh in its youth, this wine should develop beautifully for 12+ years.

Awards and reviews 5 stars, 95 pts – Sam Kim, Wine Orbit 18.5/20 – Joelle Thomson 93 points, excellent – Cameron Douglas MS 5 stars, 93 points, 18.5/20 – Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews 4 stars – Michael Cooper Silver Medal – New Zealand International Wine Show 2024 4 stars, 90 points – Stephen Wong, The Real Review

Vintage notes The 2022-2023 growing season was relatively warm overall with “normal” spring weather leading to a summer that was drier than average. Weather at flowering was warm and dry resulting in excellent yields and high quality. January was warm and dry, followed by welcome rain event in February and then a brilliant, dry and warm March. It was overall drier than 2022 but had a similar warmer feel to it.

Winemaking notes The Chardonnay grapes came from the Highgrange Vineyard situated at 336m-352m in Pisa. The 16-year-old vines are planted with Clone 95 (60% of the wine) and Mendoza (40%); two complimentary clones that give texture and freshness to the wine. The grapes were hand-harvested on the 4th of April with each clone fermented and aged separately until blending. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeasts on full solids which adds both richness and complexity to the wine. A 75% malolactic fermentation contributes to the rich mouth-feel while minimal stirring helps retain freshness. The wine was fermented and aged for 9.5 months in 5% new French oak from the premium Troncais forest in France; the rest in older French barriques.

This wine is Vegan

Alcohol: 13% pH: 3.32 T.A: 6.7g/l Residual Sugar: <1g/l