2024 Chard Farm Mata-Au Pinot Noir, Central Otago

This Pinot opens with rich aromas of ripe cherry fruit and subtle notes of warm East Asian spice and shiitake. The complex and harmonious palate is supported by fine tannins that lend texture and structure. Refreshing acidity and subtle mineral nuances within the layers of fruit lead the wine to a long finish.

The wine's warm spice and shiitake notes lean into umami richness, while the ripe cherry fruit and fine tannins keep things bright rather than heavy. A soy and mirin-glazed salmon with shiitake mushrooms picks up the savoury edge directly. Alternatively, lean into the spice with a beef stir-fry with charred greens.

More about this wine

Mata-Au is a blend of Pinot Noir made with estate grown fruit from three vineyards, all on terraces of schist-based soils in the subregion of Lowburn/Parkburn: Tiger, Viper and Mason. The name is the Māori word for the Clutha River, which carves dramatically through this landscape, shaping both climate and soils.

About Chard Farm

Chard Farm is a family business founded in 1987 by Rob Hay and Gerdi Schumann. Located on a spectacular terrace above the Kawarau River at the entrance to the Gibbston Valley, the site was originally settled by the Chard family in the 1860s and its market garden provided food for the miners in the district during the gold rush era of Central Otago.

A winery was built in 1993, and the original vineyard has grown to ten sites across the Gibbston Valley, Lowburn and Parkburn subregions.