Product Information:
The Nanny Goat Vineyard Chardonnay is ripe and complex - aromas of lemon curd, yellow fleshed plum lead out of the glass, followed by almond meal and an exotic mix of fresia and citrus blossom. The palate has a pleasing creaminess, quickly followed by bright tangerine, lemon, white peach, a gentle suggestion of sweet baking spice. A fine line of acidity brings balance and freshness to the mid palate, carrying the core citrus notes towards a long clean finish.
98% of the Chardonnay comes from Van der Mark (Bendigo, Clones 548, Mendoza & 809), and 2% Nanny Goat Queensberry (Clone 15). All fruit is handpicked and whole bunch pressed into stainless steel tanks for a brief period of settling before being roughly racked into 500L French oak puncheons (20% New) maintaining a higher juice turbidity and enhancing interest on the nose. Fermentation initially occurred naturally in barrel before the addition of a commercial yeast strain to ensure the fermentation reached dryness. Malo-Lactic fermentation took place naturally over the course of 10 months while the wine sat in barrel on lees with occasional stirring to build palate weight and texture.
Maker:
In late 2004, owner John Valmorbida, went on a spontaneous trek up to a hilltop restaurant near Queenstown. In awe of the wild goats that traverse Central Otago's rugged mountains, John named the vineyard Nanny Goat. This name embodies Nanny Goat's connection to the land and the spirit of exploration that drives our winemaking journey. ‘Nanny Goat Vineyard’ perfectly encapsulates their determination to succeed, adapt and thrive in the rugged and often extreme climates of Central Otago; much like the nimble and sure-footed wild goats of the region have done long before their arrival.
From their inaugural release of Pinot Noir in 2005, Nanny Goat Vineyard has strived to produce wines with elegance, concentration and balance whilst allowing each individual parcel of fruit to tell its unique story.
Nanny Goat Estate Vineyard sits between 270m and 290m above sea level spread across two ancient, North East facing terraces. This region experiences climatic extremes with scorching hot summers, fleeting autumns, and brutally cold winters. Indeed, these are challenging conditions for producing world-class cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Successive periods of glaciation and recession, followed by erosion by Mata Au / Clutha River have shaped the Nanny Goat Estate landscape by creating distinct terraces of alluvial soils that are a mosaic of loess, gravel, schist and mineral quartz. Generations of farming and the associated cultivation of lucerne (pasture legume) and other feed crops have added organic matter to the wind blown loess topsoil providing us with a nice balance between vine vigour and free draining attributes.
Central Otago unique terroir produces wines of extraordinary intensity and distinction that show varietal and regional definition. The soils are free draining, with poor natural fertility. These challenging conditions for producing world-class cool climate wines are integral in our pursuit of magic.
The Philosophy:
Positioned in Central Otago at a latitude of 45° South, this is the most southerly wine region in the world. Vineyards are planted between 200m and 400m above sea level. Each vintage, the Nanny Goat team work with grower partners at Vela Vineyard, Legend Terrace Vineyard & Tankersley Vineyard to source Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Pisa, Gibbston, Bannockburn & Queensberry. Central Otago is the only area in New Zealand that has a semi-continental climate and experiences greater diurnal shifts in temperature and more seasonal extremes than any other wine-growing region in New Zealand. The diurnal shift in temperature can involve daytime temperatures in excess of 30° and nights with temperatures dropping as low as 0°. This wide swing in temperature aids the development of flavour complexity in the fruit while retaining natural acidity. Central Otago produces wines of extraordinary intensity and distinction that show varietal and regional definition. The soils are free draining, with poor natural fertility. These are the challenging conditions required to producing world-class cool climate wines in Nanny Goat's pursuit of magic.
Winemaker Alan Peters-Oswald, grew up in the small town of Roxburgh, not far from Central Otago's winegrowing sub-regions. This proximity instilled in Alan a love of the rugged beauty and boldly contrasting extremes of this unique terroir. Each vintage, Alan and the team work closely to produce wines that are expressive not only of Central Otago but also of vintage conditions. Handpicked and hand sorted, the utmost care is given to all fruit before spending time in open top stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Alan seeks to retain as many whole berries as possible and whole bunch components are crucial to creating detailed and textured wines. Generally, Nanny Goat's Pinot Noirs see between 11-13 months in 225 litre French oak barriques - between 35-40% new oak each year. Nanny Goat Chardonnay also spends 9 months in barrel; 500 litre French oak puncheons.
Nose - Lemon Curd, Yellow Flesh Plum, Citrus Blossoms
On the nose, lovely aromas of tangerine, grapefruit zest and white florals are complemented by subtle notes of buttered brioche toast and wet river stones.
Palate - Cream, Bright Tangerine, Juicy Grapefruit
The palate is generous and textural up front before giving way to a seam of classic bright acidity that brings focus to a core of juicy grapefruit, yellow plum, orange zest and subtly toasted oak.
Finish - Toasty Oak, Fine Acidity, Cooked Apples
It’s layered and flavourful, with nice pie crust and cooked apples in the finish.
Delicately fragrant chardonnay with stewed apple, clove, lemon curd, vanilla and subtle spicy oak flavours supported by fine, peppery tannins. Nicely textural with good mouth feel and a lengthy finish. - Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, 92 Points.
A medium-bodied white with sliced apples and hints of honey and brioche. It’s layered and flavourful, with nice pie crust and cooked apples in the finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap. - James Suckling, 91 Points.
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Chardonnay
Country - New Zealand
Region - Central Otago
Vintage - 2024
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%
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