Chardonnay Selection

This curated selection showcases the remarkable diversity of chardonnay across different regions, vintages, and winemaking styles. By including wines from various producers and years, you'll experience how terroir, climate, and winemaking techniques influence this noble grape's expression. The collection spans from the elegant 2016 Giesen Clayvin Barrique to the more recent 2022 Brokenwood, offering a fascinating journey through chardonnay's evolution and regional characteristics.

The vintage variation from 2016 to 2022 demonstrates how chardonnay develops and changes over time, while also reflecting different seasonal conditions. Older vintages like the 2016 Giesen show how chardonnay can develop complex tertiary flavours with bottle age, while newer releases capture the fresh, vibrant characteristics of recent harvests. This range allows you to taste the same varietal at different stages of its evolution, providing valuable insight into chardonnay's ageing potential.

The rich, oaky profile with buttery and vanilla notes makes these chardonnays perfect partners for creamy dishes like lobster thermidor, roasted chicken with herbs, or mushroom risotto. The citrus and peach flavours provide enough acidity to cut through rich sauces, while the hazelnut and oak characteristics complement grilled seafood beautifully. These wines also pair wonderfully with aged cheeses and dishes featuring cream-based sauces or butter preparations.

Serve these full-bodied chardonnays slightly chilled at 10-12°C to allow their complex flavours to shine without being muted by excessive cold. The oak and buttery characteristics need this warmer serving temperature to fully express themselves. Store bottles on their side in a cool, dark place away from vibration, and consider decanting older vintages like the 2016 Giesen to allow them to open up and reveal their developed complexity.

The buttery, vanilla, and oaky characteristics come from malolactic fermentation and oak barrel ageing, hallmarks of premium chardonnay production. Malolactic fermentation converts sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid, creating that creamy, buttery mouthfeel, while time spent in oak barrels imparts vanilla, hazelnut, and spice notes. Many of these wines likely underwent sur lie ageing, where the wine rests on its yeast lees, adding texture and complexity to create that signature full-bodied, rich style chardonnay lovers cherish.