2021 'Reed' Marlborough Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Chardonnay Reed Vineyard is pure, harmonious and suave, caressing the mouth with its gentle texture and purity. It's not showy but a wine worth getting to know: it provides cognitive and sensory pleasure. You can expect almond, oatmeal, smoky nuts and party popper aromas. Yes, party poppers. I really love the smell of party poppers, so I want to keep smelling this and having a little party shimmy. Pure and textural with a gourmand character that will make you want to lick your cheeks to keep tasting it. Already good; this is going to be great.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Winemaker Matt Thomson: 'I'm doing less and less with Chardonnay. This is hand-picked clone 95, whole-bunch pressed, free-run juice mixed and then into puncheons so all the wine has the same amount of solids. Leave them for 10 months with no additional SO 2 . No stirring. A light bentonite fine. We add 30 mg/l SO 2 early on and we usually end up with 10 mg/l total pre-fermentation.' (He believes 10–15 mg/l (depending on the barrel size) is sufficient to inhibit the development of mousiness until they add more SO 2 post malo 10 months later.) 30–40% new oak. Strong struck-match aroma. Lovely precise, clean palate and definitely flinty ('because we don't stir'). Bone-dry finish and lots of fruit on mid palate. A wine you'd love or loathe. I love it. (JR)
This has intense aromas of Meyer lemons, toasted bread, dried pineapples, roasted apples and salted popcorn. The concentration is fantastic, with persistent, tangy layers of fruit and salty, toasty undertones. Deliciously long. Sustainable. Drink or hold. Screw cap.