2024 Nga Waka Chardonnay, Martinborough

Gold 2025 New Zealand International Wine Show

Ripe, mid-weight flavours of apricot and citrus are seasoned with a light dusting of spice. The palate has fair density and richness, set against fine, chalky phenolics and a light oak grip. Initially fresh and lively, the acidity mellows to creaminess as everything broadens across the palate. Approachable now with near-term development potential. Drink to 2031.

91 points Stephen Wong for The Real Review, December 2025

Juicy, spicy, stone fruity, honeyed. A soft expression with a touch of smoky, sooty spice, some breathy, flinty notes and then a backdrop of easier-going primary fruits. There's a bit of dilution, making it feel like it's been given some makeup in the winery, but in that, a straightforward, recognisable and varietal wine. Drink to 2031.

91 points Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2026

Nga Waka is a family-owned wine producer established in the late-1980s. Located in the Martinborough region of New Zealand’s North Island, its name references Nga Waka A Kupe, the three hills that dominate the landscape and in Māori legend are the canoes of the famous Polynesian explorer Kupe, carried inland by an earthquake.

Matt Harper leads the work in Nga Waka’s seven vineyard sites, his work continued in the winery by wine maker Paul Mason. The sites are in the immediate vicinity of the village of Martinborough and accredited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand.

This wine was barrel fermented in French oak barrels of which 20% were new. Matured in oak for ten months, it was lees stirred monthly for a creamier texture.