2023 Charteris Central Otago Chardonnay
An inviting Chardonnay sources from the Willowbell Vineyard in the Central Otago subregion of Queensbury. This wine is an amalgam of wonderfully ripe citrus and stone fruit characters and meal. Comes softly spiced with daubs of créme fraiche, meadow flowers, oatmeal, crushed stone, nougaat, flint and citrus curd. With its slinky textural sway and bright mineral cadence, the wine makes good use of the concerntration gifted by the 23 vintage, with an aray of pure citrus, peach and nectarine tones sliding seamlessly over the palate in a graceful arc. Great drinking, Charteris Chardonnay lovers treat yourself!
In Stock
Wine Specs
Vintage
2023
Varietal
Chardonnay
Alcohol %
13
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Golden yellow with a croissant like hue. There is a lot going on here, Hints of custard Apple, oatmeal, lightly roasted Almonds and some exotic fruits, guava, feijoa, ripe citrus and quince. A gentle touch of whipped 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. Delicious!
Vineyard Notes
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, Willowbell Vineyard coped well and we were able to harvest some excellent grapes from all our source blocks.
Production Notes
- Single vineyard selection from the Willowbell Vineyard at Queensberry
- picked on 18th April 2023
- 548, B95, Mendoza
- Whole Bunch Pressed
- 30% New French oak Puncheons with the balance older barriques
- Bottled on the 13th of April 2024
- 130 dozen produced
- 13.5% Alc, 3.43 pH, 6.4 g/L Titratable Acidity
Winemaker 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 incredible landscape 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, it all 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. It’s good to be back on the Chardonnay horse here…
Food Pairing Notes
Some cheese, Comte or Manchego, or for something more substantial, Neil Perry’s Slow Roast Chook.