Published March 13, 2025
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One of my most powerful winemaking memories comes from 1999 during my first vintage as a cellar-hand at Martinborough Vineyards on the North Island of New Zealand.
The Chardonnay fruit had been pressed, and I was transferring the juice into new French oak barrels. I was nervous that I would overfill the barrels, so I was peeking into the barrel with my flashlight, watching the juice swirl and slowly rise up. I will never forget the aroma as the fresh juice mixed with the toasted oak.
Often when I am enjoying a glass of Chardonnay, that memory comes flooding back, and I get excited about the next vintage when I can experience it again. I hope when you taste our newest Chardonnay, you can feel the connection back to a young man just learning his way around a winery on the other side of the world.
