Bay of Islands Madre

2022 Madre Chardonnay

$135.00

• Vineyard & Winemaking

  VITICULTURE
  
  Sourced predominantly from The Landing’s first-planted vines, this Chardonnay is grown on a gently sloping, northeast-facing site. Careful canopy management allows dappled light to filter through, encouraging even ripening and flavour development. Hand harvested on 22 and 25 February 2022.

  WINEMAKING
  
  We hand-picked and carefully sorted the grapes before pressing directly to French oak — a mix of barriques and puncheons — for fermentation. Afterward, the wine was left to age on full lees for 11 months, then blended to tank and matured for a further 12 months prior to bottling.

• Vintage Notes

  A wetter-than-average early spring set up the vines with excellent canopies and good bunch weights. Summer and early autumn were mostly dry and very warm, although two events of strong winds and rainfall in early February delayed ripening. The fruit showed excellent resilience, hanging through and ripening well in great condition.

• Awards

  The Real Review - Stephen Wong - 96 Points

  Subtle musky floral, crisp apple and oyster-shell notes are overlaid by strongly masking aromas of freshly chopped wood, cinnamon and toast, only reluctantly opening after aggresive aeration to reveal spicy herbal tones of nettle tea, spearmint and lime leaf. The palate is densely concentrated, its full-bodied flavours of apple and citrus supported by masses of oak tannin, unevolved wood spice and toasted muesli pinned in place by firm, almost saline acidity. Currently closed and ungiving, this needs another couple of years to relax but there is immense potential here once the wine comes together. Expect a generous, complex example of classical chardonnay as it evolves slowly over the next decade.