Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay 2022

Pyramid Valley farm their Chardonnay biodynamically at Waikari in North Canterbury, on the South Island of New Zealand. Mike and Claudia Elze Weersing chose the site for its limestone, its slopes and its elevation, and the combination gives the wine much of its character. Limestone soils hold water and show in the wine as a chalky, saline quality, while the altitude and the cool Canterbury climate stretch the growing season and preserve natural acidity. The fruit is fermented and aged for twelve months in French oak barrels. Time on the lees, with the spent yeast cells breaking down slowly, adds a creamy weight and a fine texture, and a partial malolactic conversion softens the sharper malic acidity into something rounder. The oak is measured rather than dominant, giving gentle spice and a toasted edge. The wine is pale gold, with white peach, lemon and hazelnut on the nose and a chalky mineral line running through the palate. The finish is long and savoury. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a broad glass.