2023 Rockburn Chardonnay

Rockburn’s Chardonnay comes mainly from their Parkburn vineyard, a warm, sheltered site that gives fruit with plenty of flavour and natural balance. The aim is a clean, modern Central Otago style – ripe enough for texture, but always carried by freshness and acidity.

The 2023 season was mild and even, ideal for slow ripening. Fruit was hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeast in French oak, a small portion new, before resting on lees to build weight and detail.

The wine sits right in the middle ground – citrus and white peach up front, a touch of toast and spice in the background, and a crisp, dry finish. It’s neat, quietly complex and shows the same precision that runs through all of Rockburn’s wines.