2023 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay, Marlborough

A restrained, carefully layered modern chardonnay with tightly woven flavours of grapefruit, flint, stony minerality and white peach encased in subtly spicy wood and a hint of fresh cream. Not a blockbuster, this mid-weight wine is elegant and innately complex with good promise for the mid-term 06 Feb 2025 Drink 2026–2033

92 points Stephen Wong MW therealreview.com

Cloudy Bay Chardonnay is a beautifully crafted cool-climate white that captures the elegance, purity, and subtle complexity of Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. While Cloudy Bay is world famous for its Sauvignon Blanc, its Chardonnay has quietly earned a reputation as one of New Zealand’s most refined, Burgundian-influenced expressions. The wine is sourced from the estate’s Southern Valleys vineyards, where cooler temperatures, clay-rich soils, and long growing seasons provide Chardonnay with intensity, natural acidity, and structure.

The vines are grown on free-draining alluvial gravels with clay subsoils that retain moisture and help balance vine growth. The fruit is hand harvested and whole-bunch pressed before undergoing fermentation in French oak barriques, a portion of which are new. Indigenous yeasts are used to build texture and complexity, and partial malolactic fermentation adds creaminess while maintaining freshness. The wine is aged on lees with regular bâtonnage, giving it richness and depth without compromising its precision and clarity.

In the glass, Cloudy Bay Chardonnay is a pale gold with subtle green flecks. Aromas of white peach, citrus blossom, nectarine, and flinty minerality mingle with notes of toasted hazelnut and gentle spice from the oak. The palate is medium bodied and beautifully balanced, with layers of stone fruit, lemon curd, and subtle oak-derived creaminess. A vibrant line of acidity and a mineral backbone carry the wine through a long, elegant finish. It’s a Chardonnay that blends New World fruit purity with Old World structure and restraint.

This wine pairs wonderfully with dishes like seared scallops with lemon butter, roast chicken with thyme, grilled lobster, or creamy mushroom pasta. It’s equally at home with soft cheeses like brie or more delicate seafood preparations. Enjoy it now for its freshness and precision, or cellar for 5 to 8 years to develop further nutty, toasty complexity.