2021 Blank Canvas Escaroth Chardonnay, Marlborough

Taut, intense and complex chardonnay with nectarine, ripe peach, mineral/oyster shell, nutty yeast lees and subtle spicy oak flavours. Very appealing now but with a promising future. Clearly a great vintage. Drink to 2027. 

96 points Bob Campbell for The Real Review, September 2022

The 2021 Chardonnay Escaroth Vineyard is all compact power. It's overtly savory, exuding smoky bacon and toast alongside Chardonnay's white-stoned fruit. This forceful style hails from a hillside vineyard planted on clay loams. In the winery, it's whole-bunch pressed, and there's a high solids fermentation in puncheons before being left on lees for around 11 months with no stirring. The combination makes for a savory and textural New Zealand Chardonnay with concentration and firmness. Drink to 2032.

95 points Rebecca Gibb for Vinous, January 2023

This has a delicious array of passion fruit, grilled apricots, guava, toasted nuts and rosemary. Sea shells and matchstick, too. It's full-bodied with a concentrated, flavorful and toasty palate. Tight phenolic structure, too. Lots going on. Sustainable. Drink or hold.

94 points James Suckling, September 2022

The Escaroth vineyard is located in the Taylor’s Pass area of Marlborough. The soils here some of the oldest in the region and comprise of low vigour clays that naturally limit yields and concentrate flavour. The large diurnal temperature range of the microclimate brings freshness, tension, and aromatic lift to the fruit

Andy and Kyna live on their vineyard, with Escaroth being a nod to Tolkien’s world: it is taken from the ‘Lake-town’ in The Hobbit, where the elves sourced their wine. Their vineyard is dry-farmed and entirely hand-tended, a necessity given the steep, hillside terrain. It is planted to clones 115 and 777, with the north-facing aspect ensuring excellent sun exposure.

About this producer

Blank Canvas was founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife team Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson MW as a culmination of decades of global experience and ongoing curiosity.

Their single vineyard New Zealand wines start lives as blank canvases, each seeking to present an authentic glimpse of a time and place through precision viticulture, restrained winemaking and transparent provenance.

The floor on quality is set high here, with wide critical acclaim bestowed on each wine and vintage. Blank Canvas is a certified member of the quality promoting Appellation Marlborough Wine as well as Sustainable New Zealand Winegrowing.