Blank Canvas Reed Vineyard Chardonnay 2021

This is an incredibly textured wine that boasts a bounty of fleshy white nectarine and orchard fruit, and a grainy, honeyed richness, perfectly balanced by vibrant acidity and notes from oak ageing. A complex and layered wine that is perfect for drinking now but will also benefit from cellaring.

The Reed vineyard is home to growers Pete and Anne Reed. Situated at the mouth of the Waihopai Valley, they first planted vines on their land in 2001. The vineyard is planted with 100% Clone 95 Chardonnay, a Burgundian clone that Matt Thomson thinks is ideally suited to Marlborough, which has been top-grafted onto ancient Gewurztraminer vines - so while the top grafting is young, the vine roots go deep. Matt particularly likes this clone for its intense flavour, modest sugar levels and aromatic complexity.

The grapes were whole-bunch pressed with the cloudy free-run juice going into new and seasoned French oak puncheons (500L), approximately 40% new oak. It fermented with ambient yeast and was left to complete both primary and natural malolactic fermentation without disturbance. It was carefully racked out of oak to spend a further several months on light lees before being bottled without fining or filtration.