From the famed home of cool climate flavour intensity, Oyster Bay Chardonnay is a delightful breath of fresh air and displays a style of its own. Its assertive and refreshing flavours are captured and partnered with subtle oak, bringing a delicate texture to the wine. No wonder we call it the world’s coolest chardonnay.
New Zealand produces world-class Chardonnay, and Marlborough is at the heart of it all as the country’s premier grape-growing region. We’re proud to have two stunning locations in the Marlborough region, producing award-winning Chardonnay as well as other varietals in the Oyster Bay range.
Winemaking Techniques
The fruit is destemmed and lightly pressed, with the free run and pressed juice cold settled to partial clarity, racked into stainless steel fermentation tanks and inoculated with a pure yeast culture. A portion of the ferment is transferred to French oak barriques and allowed a slow temperature controlled fermentation for several weeks.
The barrique fermented wine is lees stirred on a weekly basis and matured for a period of months to achieve maximum softness and retention of varietal flavours. The tank fermented portion is held on yeast lees stirred, racked and prepared for final blending. No malolactic fermentation is undertaken, and the resulting wine is then blended and filtered prior to bottling.
Chardonnay Characteristics
Oyster Bay Marlborough Chardonnay is cool climate at its best; fresh and vibrant with aromas of white peach, crisp citrus, a touch of oak and an elegant, creamy texture.