Reserve Marlborough Chardonnay

Our Rapaura Springs Reserve Chardonnay is rich and flavourful. Each bottle is bursting with honeysuckle, white peach, nectarine and fresh citrus, all complemented by toasty vanilla and subtle spiced oak characters.

Reserve Chardonnay

Expertly crafted from our favourite vineyards, our Reserve wines have impressive flavour concentration and palate weight. Adorning every label on every bottle of Rapaura Springs wine is a simple symbol – a circle of rocks that signify the pure spring in our home vineyard in the heart of Marlborough, New Zealand. Our label and our name represent our intimate connection to the pristine waters that collect high in the Southern Alps and are gradually filtered beneath the region’s braided rivers, refreshing the deep underground aquifers that feed our vines, and bubble up in our own Rapaura Springs.

Winemaking Notes

The 2022 growing season began with significant rain, marking the end of three years of drought in Marlborough. A period of warmth in early December produced a welcome and better than average fruit-set. In late February we had a couple of significant rains which replenished the soil moisture levels that had reduced during summer. During the two weeks that followed we had cool days and nights which meant the acidities remained on the high side. Harvest coincided with the peak of New Zealand’s Omicron outbreak, which put some pressure on staffing. Excellent teamwork meant we were able to harvest our fruit as it was ready, retaining vibrant acidity and concentrated fruit flavour. After harvest, the Chardonnay fruit was pressed, racked clear, and the juice fermented with 25% new oak. A partial secondary malolactic fermentation has softened the wine and added extra texture and complexity to the palate.

Cellaring Recommendation

Enjoy now, or cellar for up to three years.

2023 Coming Soon 2022 Tasting Note 2021 Tasting Note