2023 Settlement Chardonnay

WINEMAKER: Steve Planthaber 
REGION: Marlborough, N.Z.
VARIETY: Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Organic

Hand-picked and racked off solids before wild fermentation in barrel, full malolactic fermentation, and 12 months total élevage with 15% new oak.

“A distinctive bouquet of roasted nut, baked peach and wood with scents of vanilla, butter-cream and spices. Full-bodied and delicious on the palate with full-creamy quality, stone fruits and grapefruit peel, mineral and smoky wood layers. Chardonnay at its most bold and proud with best drinking from 2025 through 2032.” – 94 pts – Excellent – Cameron Douglas

“Rich yet fresh and characterful, offering ripe peaches, quince and hints of honeysuckle and raw almonds. Medium- to full-bodied with impressive concentration of flavors and a juicy flow. Bright and harmonious. Drink or hold. Screw cap.” – 92 pts – James Suckling

“The 2023 Chardonnay Poplars Vineyard is creamy and generously oaky, showing rich golden hues and flinty reduction on first opening. The region’s citrus-like acidity provides hold and tension on the palate, which is full-bodied and surprisingly weighty for a Marlborough Chardonnay. Appetizing sweetness and a bright sour twist are hallmarks of the Mendoza clone. This feels like old-school Chardonnay with its ripe stone fruit flavors and unapologetic oak, but it’s done well. The 2023 was hand-picked, racked off solids, wild- fermented and matured in barrels for 12 months, 15% of which are new.” – 92 pts – Rebecca Gibb MW