Felton Road Block 6 Chardonnay 2024

This cuvée comes from Block 6 of The Elms vineyard, in Bannockburn, in the heart of Central Otago, in the south of New Zealand. Planted in 1993 on a north-facing slope, between 282 and 300 metres above sea level, the plot catches the autumn sun but remains exposed to the wind. The dry, sunny semi-continental climate, with cool nights, preserves the acidity of the grapes.

The grapes, grown biodynamically, are picked by hand, then whole-bunch pressed. The juice settles overnight and flows by gravity into barrels. It ferments with its native yeasts in used French oak barrels, with no new oak, followed by a long malolactic fermentation. Ageing lasts 17 months in barrel, 11 of them on the lees, with no fining or filtration.

This wine reveals notes of peach, grapefruit, lemon, citrus blossom, brioche, hazelnut, fresh butter and sea salt. The bright fruit is tempered by rich, toasty notes. The palate is vibrant and precise, with fine depth, a fresh acidity and a saline finish that leaves a wonderfully refreshing impression.

Introduced in 1819, winegrowing was greatly developed by Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, a French Marist missionary. Sent to Oceania in 1837, he settled there from January 1838 to develop New Zealand's vineyards. The first quality vineyards were established in the Hawke's Bay region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After production setbacks caused first by phylloxera and then by the First World War, the vineyards began to expand again during the Second World War, when their area doubled. Today New Zealand has 10 major wine regions spread across the North and South Islands, the largest of which is Marlborough. Most of New Zealand's wine regions have a maritime climate. The country's long, narrow shape means that vineyards are never more than 120 km from the coast, and most are much closer than that (with the exception of the semi-continental Central Otago region). A backbone of mountains running down the centre of the country shields most of the main wine regions from the strong westerly winds of the Tasman Sea known as the "Roaring Forties". Because of these winds, there are few wine regions on New Zealand's west coast. The quality and reputation of New Zealand wines are well established. Indeed, the country produces some of the best and most acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc in the world. And it is no coincidence that New Zealand has made Sauvignon Blanc its symbol, just like its sheep, its kiwis and its legendary haka!