Critic Scores:

• 97 – James Suckling

Drawn from the collective voice of the estate’s fully established, own-rooted vines planted between 1982 and 2000, this biodynamic bottling delivers a complete, non-interventionist distillation of Lake Wānaka’s spectacular schist soils. The 2023 growing season yielded fruit of immense structural focus and natural density. In the glass, it pours a brilliant, translucent ruby red, opening with a remarkably earthy and complex aromatic framework.

The bouquet wanders beautifully between layers of dark bramble fruit, black truffle, and sweet spices, lifted by subtle hints of bark, clover, and wet earth.

On the medium- to full-bodied palate, an innate sense of linear tension and crisp acidity guides a pure flow of dark cherries and forest berries.

The texture is assertively chewy and structured, weaving a tight web of intense, mineral-driven tannins with a distinct, tangy orange-peel highlight that enlivens the fruit profile. This structural density resolves into an exceptionally long, vibrant, and precise finish that perfectly honors its sub-alpine origin.

Serving as the lead critical reference for this exceptional release, James Suckling awarded the vintage a commanding 97 points, praising its deep savory definition and writing that it shows "earth, black-truffle, spice and flint aromas with hints of clover as well as bark and wet earth".