2024 Rays Road Chardonnay

Full screwcapped bottle 1,319 g. Hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed before 100% spontaneous barrel ferment in French oak (very little new but they have been experimenting with barrels given a long, light toast) with 100% malo. 11 months' ageing in barrel. They bought the vineyard they call Rays Road in time for the 2018 vintage. 25 ha total, of which Chardonnay is about 12 ha producing but it will increase. Dry-farmed except for young vines.  About 2,000 cases-worth of the fruit goes into wine labelled Kumeu River (mainly Chardonnay) and the rest, including all of the Sauvignon Blanc that had been planted by Trinity Hill and P Jolivet and is currently being replanted, is sold off as grapes.  Two clones: 548 and 15 from UCD (also known as the Prosser clone, imported by Warren Moran). They will also eventually use virus-free Mendoza, too. This bottling is the pick of Rays Road vineyard and they may eventually bottle different blocks separately. Mid to deep greenish gold. Toasty and glamorous on the nose. They aim to make a Chablis style because it's all limestone so very lively and tense. I'd say the acidity isn't as pronounced as a typical Chablis. Real grip on the palate. Very long with lots of tension. (JR)

The 2024 Rays Road Chardonnay leads with a spicy, almost exotic nose, while the palate strides in smooth, sleek movements. This is creamy and a little nutty, and there are wet limestone notes in the mouth, alongside yellow citrus and layers of dried herbs, cracked fennel seeds, ginger root and fruit flavors. A lovely wine, it's weighted on the back palate and long through the finish. I tasted this as a tank sample prior to filtration and bottling. The Ray's Road vineyard is on a limestone base and has been significantly worked and replanted since the Kumeu River purchase in 2021.