Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2023

Cloudy Bay was founded in 1985 as one of the first wineries in Marlborough's Wairau Valley, at the northern tip of the South Island. The valley floor is free-draining alluvial gravel over clay, and the region's long, cool, sunny autumns let Chardonnay ripen slowly while holding on to acidity. Fruit is fermented and then aged for eleven months in oak barrels. Barrel fermentation and time on lees soften the wine and build a creamy weight, while partial malolactic conversion turns sharp malic acid into rounder lactic acid, adding to the texture without losing freshness. The oak contributes vanilla and a light toast rather than heavy woodspice. The wine is bright straw yellow. The nose shows white peach, lemon and melon lifted by vanilla and toasted bread, and the palate is medium bodied and creamy, the stonefruit and citrus carried on a fine, savoury line of acidity into a nutty, hazelnut-tinged finish. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a large white glass.