There was certainly an element of irony when I realised that Jasper, keynote speaker at the 2024 Aotearoa Chardonnay Forum, would be in New Zealand at precisely the same time as I would be in British Columbia, Canada hosting a series of chardonnay masterclasses on behalf of NZ Winegrowers. 

When possible themes for the Canada tastings were first discussed, Melissa Stunden and Andrea Backstrom, representing NZ Winegrowers in Canada, were open to my idea of avoiding the ‘regional’ approach. It’s now the case that many of New Zealand’s top chardonnays across all regions are made in a similar style and with similar techniques: whole bunch pressing; spontaneous fermentation; almost always a note of reduction; and oak playing a supporting, not starring role – creating lean fruit profiles with high acidity. The hand of the winemaker usually trumps any regional characters. Having completed several regional tastings for Inside Burgundy this year, although it’s clear that the wines from the warmer, more northerly regions usually display a riper fruit profile than those sourced from cooler, southerly ones, these characters play only a supporting role. So instead of regional flights, I hoped that arranging the wines by ‘style’ would stimulate a more interesting conversation. 

Of course, this then raises the issue of what constitutes ‘style’. Wines I regard as sleek might present to another person as bony. Does reduction make the wine more complex or is it a character that overpowers fruit expression? And where to put the wines that don’t fit into a recognised style. 

In the end we agreed on four brackets: Subtle and Stylish; Subtle Intervention; Full-on Reduction; and Pushing the Envelope.  

Subtle and Stylish  

‘Subtle and Stylish’ are the slightly intangible qualities to which I am most partial, and ones that are particularly exciting for New Zealand chardonnay. The combination of intense UV sunlight but cool temperatures means that producers can achieve optimal ripeness but not at the expense of acidity. Importantly, fruit ripens without accumulating high sugars resulting in wines that have a strong acid spine and plenty of flavour, albeit in a sleek, restrained style. Significantly these are wines that achieve their restraint without artifice. The grapes are not picked early to chase lower alcohols nor are they manipulated to retain acid. This results in wines of ease and charm.  

The joy of tasting blind is that any preconceptions can be removed. When choosing the wine selection, I was charmed by Squawking Magpie’s 2022 Counting Crows Chardonnay. In the past I have found this producer’s wines to be somewhat bigger-framed and sometimes a little obvious. But with a change of winemaker, the wines are now under the careful watch of the highly experienced Jenny Dobson. As a result I think the wines have become sleeker, more focussed and much more interesting. Dobson’s philosophy is to create wines of place. But also in her words “delicious wines for people to enjoy, with balance but also charm”.  

The Counting Crow Chardonnay, off the Gimblett Gravels, has drive and lift, with the savoury nuances and slightly pithy that the bony, arid gravels can give to Chardonnay.  

Black Estate shipped its brand-new Home Vineyard Bottom Block Chardonnay, which was a different wine to the one I chose. The Bottom Block, whilst keeping to Black Estate’s signature subtle style, was slightly bolder and riper with a touch of yellow stonefruit. It was as delightful as I had hoped it would be.  

Felton Road Block 2 showed as expected and was sleek and precise. Simply an assured and captivating wine. 

Subtle Intervention 

Subtle Intervention was a chance to show that conscientious winemaking, through the considered use of spontaneous fermentation, batonnage, malolactic, and barrel maturation enables winemakers to add layers of complexity without sacrificing intrinsically refined characters. 

Pyramid Valley’s North Canterbury Chardonnay was a great example of a wine that showed it is possible to have plenty of fruit without appearing too opulent if the acidity supports it. Craggy Range’s Kidnappers Vineyard married cool, coastal fruit with subtle oak to give a striking oyster-shell and grapefuit character. Bilanicia’s Tiratore Chardonnay looked as magical as ever. 

Full-on Reduction 

Reduction is a polarising character. Struck match or flinty aromas can easily dominate, overwhelming both the nose and palate leading to a tough, cheerless finish. But I find it appealing if the wine has fruit intensity and depth so that it adds a touch of complexity.  

Villa Maria’s McDiarmid Chardonnay carries a striking 14.5% alcohol and plenty of Gisborne’s peachy ripe fruit and although there was a good deal of struck match, remained in balance. 

 Dog Point Chardonnay, made from some of Marlborough’s oldest chardonnay vines, showed an abundance of ripe red grapefruit and nectarine fruit. A bold wine for sure, but there is energy and power too so that the flinty edge is seamlessly integrated. 

2018 Pegasus Bay Chardonnay prompted a good deal of discussion. As it was already in market, (most of the other wines had been specially shipped from NZ) we thought it a good wine to show. As soon as it was opened it released the most tremendous aromas of flint, bran biscuit, gunsmoke, toasted hazelnut. It was almost too much and although there was plenty of richness on the palate, to my mind the reduction overtook both nose and palate. 

Pushing the Envelope 

The final bracket showed that New Zealand winemakers are confidently starting to produce chardonnays that are just that bit different.  

As winemaker for Sacred Hill, Tony Bish made some of New Zealand’s most awarded wines from a number of varieties. But when he established his own winery, he decided to focus solely on chardonnay and now makes a range of different styles. The 2022 Golden Egg Chardonnay is sourced from the highly regarded Two Terraces vineyard and is fermented and aged in 1600 litre concrete egg-shaped tanks. This create a wine with texture, flow and a gently powdery character that was beguiling. 

Moko Hills is a new Central Otago label, created by Donald van der Westhuizen. When I messaged him ahead of the tasting he honestly responded that he didn’t have a style in my mind when approaching wine making although acknowledged that this may change as his understanding of site evolves. In his words ‘it is essentially a collusion between people and place’. Certainly his hands-off approach seems to be working extremely well, with the textural grip on the palate a contrast to the sleeker, more silken chardonnays for which Central Otago is so well known. 

Finally the 2022 Prophets Rock Cuvée Aux Antipodes, made through a collaboration between winemakers Paul Pujol and Francois Millet. Made from fruit sourced from the Pisa sub-region of Central Otago, the wine spends 17 months in barrel of which 16% is new. This is longer than usual for NZ chardonnay and made for an appetising, almost savoury palate. A wine built to be cellared.  

I really enjoyed hosting the three tastings and in particular the opportunity to taste the same wines again in each of these events. Canada is New Zealand wine’s 4^th largest export market. Sauvignon Blanc is extremely popular there and needs no introduction, so it was great to show that chardonnay is also a really exciting and in some cases overlooked category. And it was lovely to receive a number of messages after the tastings thanking me for the seminar but more importantly enthusiastically singing the praises of New Zealand Chardonnay.  

Thanks to Melissa Standen and Andrea Backstrom representing NZ Winegrowers Canada who organised my visit to Canada to perfection.