90 Wine Enthusiast

"Showing plenty of toasty oak, Te Awa's 2007 Chardonnay is at the same time surprisingly medium-bodied, with refined citrusy aromas and flavors at its core, cosseted by layers of vanilla and coconut. Try it with scallops or lobster, and let the long, citrusy finish play off the buttery sweetness of the shellfish. Drink now–2012." -90 Points - Wine Enthusiast

VITICULTURE:
"There are four blocks of Chardonnay on the Te Awa Estate that have been used to craft this wine. Zone 7 and 8 are by the winery and are comprise of Chardonnay UCD15 and Mendoza. Further down the driveway is Zone 12 another block of Chardonnay Mendoza. The soil types are very similar through these blocks. The Northern ends of the rows are incredibly free draining, resulting in small berries with intese flavor, and the southern ends have more silt in the top soil. Zone 30 is planted to Chardonnay Dijon 95 on fertile silts over lying free draining gravels." -Winery

VINIFICATION:
"Succesive parcels of fruit were brought into the winery. Picking decisions are based on flavor and tannin ripeness. Once pressed the juice was settled briefly being run into barrels. These barrels were then innoculated with several yeast strains for fermentation. The young wine stayed in contact with it's yeast lee for 12 months prior to blending and bottling. All barrels were tight grain French oak of which 25% were new. The barrels were a combination of 300L Hogs Heads and 500L Puncheons." -Winemaker

WINERY:
"Today, Te Awa is managed by Chief Winemaker, Ant Mackenzie, and his dedicated vineyard team, most of whom have worked on the land since the winery’s inception. Ant is also assisted by Cam McInnes, the former assistant winemaker at Dry River."

"The intention is that Te Awa and Dry River will continue to develop their own philosophies within their regions but work together closely on aspects of viticulture and winemaking into the future." -Winery