2023 Mora Chardonnay

Mora’s 2023 Chardonnay brings together fruit from two key vineyards – Eden in Pisa and Cairnmuir in Bannockburn – an even split that combines freshness from the higher, stonier Pisa site with texture and weight from Bannockburn’s warmer terraces.

The fruit was hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, with an early press cut to keep the juice clean. It was fermented in barrel, part wild and part inoculated, with full malo and regular lees stirring for nine months in French oak (20% new). The result is a Chardonnay that balances energy and richness without tipping either way.

The nose shows preserved lemon, stone fruit and a little honeysuckle. The palate is creamy and textural, with flavours of baked lemon and panna cotta held in check by bright acidity. A well-judged, modern Central Otago Chardonnay that’s as comfortable on its own as it is next to a plate of blue cod with caper butter.