The Estate Chardonnay is selected from elevated sites across the property which are cooler and exposed to the winds coming off the Pacific Ocean. Vintage 2022 was a very good growing season, hot with little rainfall throughout the summer apart from Cyclone Dovi which hit New Zealand in early February and set the harvest into motion with these exposed sites. Thankfully after such a hot summer the flavour development was excellent, and the early pick preserved acidity creating a wine of great balance despite the disruption caused by Dovi. All the fruit is hand harvested and fermented on ‘full solids’ in 500 litre puncheons, aged on lees without any stirring and sulphured prior to the onset of Malolactic fermentation to preserve the wines linear flow.