Greystone Organic Waipara Chardonnay 2022

Greystone Organic Waipara Chardonnay 2022"Fragrant, enticing, complex and new with a freshness and enticement scents with white peach and sweet citrus, some ripe red apple flesh idea and core of lees offering a gun flint and mineral saline scent. Lovely weight and intensity driven by mouthfeel and core fruit flavours that reflect the bouquet. The lees and mineral qualities layer in complexity and style. An excellent wine with best drinking from 2024 through 2030" Cameron Douglas, Master

"Fragrant, enticing, complex and new with a freshness and enticement scents with white peach and sweet citrus, some ripe red apple flesh idea and core of lees offering a gun-flint and mineral saline scent. Lovely weight and intensity driven by mouthfeel and core fruit flavours that reflect the bouquet. The lees and mineral qualities layer in complexity and style. An excellent wine with best drinking from 2024 through 2030" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Nov 2023

"Bright, even, pale straw yellow with depth. The nose is powerful, displaying aromas of struck-match, toasty reduction underlying stonefruit and citrus. Full-bodied, aromas of grapefruit and apricot enriched with toast, struck-match and stony minerals. The enlivening acidity cuts through the rich, toasty reduction and drives a long, opulent finish. This is a powerful, rich Chardonnay with lengthy and bright acidity that carries weight and complexity" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Feb 2024

Pale lemon in colour with aromas of ripe nectarine and pink grapefruit. Toasted almonds and bran appear with some fine blossom too. Rich mouth-feel with exotic spice and lemon pith, balanced with a lengthy mineral spine.

Greystone draws its name from the unique limestone conglomerate that we find as the bedrock on which our vine roots grow in. A limestone mix of fossils, sea shells and small pebbles that have been fused together through the seismic movement of North Canterbury. Over time this ancient seabed has been pushed and folded upwards to form the Teviotdale Hills.

Pinot Noir famously loves soils with limestone and thus different clones, aspects and blocks were planted to see what was capable from this bare land. As the soil changes down the slope we’ve also planted Chardonnay and Riesling.

A gentle Autumn allowed even ripening before harvest. Organically managed, the combination of undervine cultivation & fewer irrigation cycles has driven the Chardonnay roots deep into the soil. Our Chardonnay is a blend of two main vineyard blocks. One block is limestone dominant, while the other is clay. The two clones, Mendoza & Clone 95, flourish differently in both blocks. Mendoza is the cornerstone of our Chardonnay. The clone is known for its small, open grape bunches, intense fruit-driven flavours and chalky minerality. 2022 started off cool and cloudy which caused a reduction in yield however lower bunch numbers resulted in fruit of outstanding quality with great concentration and beautiful acidity.

We hand-picked our Chardonnay blocks and processed without the use of additives. We pressed our Limestone block as whole bunches and pressed our Clay block after foot crushing. Each block was fermented separately in French oak barriques without intervention, allowing the wild yeasts and bacteria to perform primary and malo-lactic fermentation through to completion. Barrel aged for 9 months before estate bottled without fining.