2021 Madre Chardonnay 2021 Madre Chardonnay
Bay of Islands Madre

2021 Madre Chardonnay

$91.00

Tasting Notes

The Madre Chardonnay 2021 expresses itself wonderfully, offering mineral notes on the nose that compliment the grapefruit and stonefruit characters. On the palate it is tight, with underlying power and impressive length. Very youthful, this wine will evolve to reveal more richness and complexity with time in the cellar. The crispness and minerality flavours crave delicate food matches like shellfish or white fish.

  • Vineyard & Winemaking

    The Madre Chardonnay grapes are primarily sourced from the original vines planted in block E at The Landing. These vines thrive on a gentle north-east slope, soaking up just the right amount of sunlight. We meticulously manage the canopy to ensure the perfect balance of shade and light, resulting in a yield of 4.4 tons per hectare. Our grapes were harvested over three days in February: the 9th, 13th, and 25th.



    We hand-picked and carefully sorted the grapes before pressing them. The juice was then gently pressed directly into a selection of French oak barrels, including barriques and puncheons, where fermentation took place. Afterward, the wine was left to age on its lees for 11 months, imparting richness and complexity. Finally, we blended the wine in tanks for an additional 12 months before bottling.

  • Vintage Notes

    The 2021 Chardonnay vintage showcased exceptional growth conditions. With a dry and warm spring and early summer, yields were low and ripening occurred early in the season. Rain in mid-February pushed ripening back to near normal.

  • Reviews

    Cam Douglas 96/100 - outstanding - A bouquet filled with energy and power, concentration, complexity and a sense of site and vintage. The core of the bouquet centers on aromas of grapefruit and a mix of peachy stone fruit scents, clay soils and a white smoke quality from the use of lees, whole-bunch and precise barrel selections. Still taut and youthful as the wine touches the palate with energy from the acid line, barrel and core fruit flavours. Tannins and acid line deliver a solid structure tempered by fruit and complexities. Dry, lengthy, taut, new and delicious with best drinking likely from 2026 through 2032.outstanding

    Robert Parker 94+/100 - The 2021 Madre Chardonnay is the third vintage made, and it's rich yet taut. In the mouth, the wine initially leads with lashings of orchard fruit, brine and pink grapefruit, but it quickly pulls in tight through themid-palate and sails out over the fi nish. It is billowing but directionaland unfurls in the mouth like a gib in high wind. Through the fi nish,there is plenty of tannin, which shapes the fruit. I like it very much,and I will love to see how this ages. It feels like it will go well. 14%alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Erin Larkin

    Michael Cooper | 5 stars - The powerful 2021 vintage of The Landing’s premium Chardonnay was estate-grown in the Bay of Islands. Hand-harvested mostly from vines planted in 2007, it was fermented and matured on its yeast lees for 11 months in French oak barriques and puncheons. Bright lemon/green, it is mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, with fresh acidity and concentrated, vibrant, peach and grapefruit flavours, gently seasoned with oak. A distinctive, savoury, vigorous wine, complex and finely structured, it’s still unfolding; best drinking mid-2025+.

    Bob Campbell l MW 96/100 - Intense, vibrant chardonnay with electric energy and impressive purity. Oyster shell/saline characters give a nod in the direction of Burgundy. Delicious wine that oozes finesse. Made with a light touch.

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