Valli Waitaki Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 750ml

⭐ 95 Points – Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Valli Waitaki Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 is a rare, small-production Chardonnay from the Waitaki Valley, North Otago, where cool conditions and limestone-rich soils produce wines with striking acidity, minerality and precision. Valli describes the 2022 as combining a taut, textured mid-palate with racy acidity and excellent length. 

The nose is complex and refined, showing lemon zest, green apple, lime and hazelnut, together with a distinctive savoury character derived from high-solids fermentation. The palate combines concentrated citrus fruit with a beautifully satiny texture, while vibrant acidity and limestone-driven minerality create a focused, persistent finish. Valli considers it capable of developing for 12+ years.  

The wine was fermented in French oak barriques with 25% new oak, with weekly stirring through malolactic fermentation. It was blended after 11 months and bottled without filtration.  

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Lemon zest, green apple, lime, hazelnut & savoury notes
• Palate: Citrus, nashi pear, white peach, subtle nuttiness & mineral complexity
• Texture: Concentrated and satiny with taut structure
• Finish: Long, racy, mineral & crystalline
• Grape: Chardonnay
• Region: Waitaki Valley, North Otago, New Zealand