Old Coach Road Nelson Unoaked Chardonnay 2023 - Special Case Offer

86 Points (4 Stars) - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit October 2023

Vineyard: Seifried Rabbit Island, Brightwater and Redwood Valley vineyards
Sugar at Harvest: 22.9°Brix
Date of Harvest: Mid March 2023
pH of Wine: 3.53
T.A of Wine: 6.7g/L
Residual Sugar: 1g/L (dry)
Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans: Yes

The Chardonnay fruit for our 2023 Old Coach Road Nelson Unoaked Chardonnay is harvested from our Rabbit Island vineyard, Brightwater vineyard and a small portion from our Redwood Valley vineyard.

The Rabbit Island vineyard is situated on a wide river flat. The soil is gravelly sandy loam which is very free-draining. This vineyard ranges in age from six years to 32 years and are about 1.5 km from the sea, which helps moderate temperatures.

Our Brightwater vineyard is situated 15 km from the coast and is sheltered from the south by the Richmond ranges. The ‘soil’ is a combination of rocks and boulders, which is very hard on farm equipment, but vital for holding the warmth of Nelson’s sun and for ripening the grapes.

The unirrigated Redwood Valley vineyard is situated on a gently sloping, north-facing clay site; the vines range in age from 10 - 30 years. Vertical shoot positioning helps to expose the berries to sunlight, thus getting maximum intensity and optimal ripeness.

Traditionally Chardonnay is made in an oaked style, however we are often asked: what does Chardonnay as a grape variety with no oak ageing taste like? This is it!

The fruit for our 2023 Old Coach Road Nelson Unoaked Chardonnay came into the winery in perfect condition. The grapes were pressed, and the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks to capture the natural tropical fruit characters of the grape variety, without influence from oak. The wine has undergone partial maloactic fermentation to soften its natural acidity. The wine was then stabilised and bottled in September 2023.