Te Kano 'Landwalker' Chardonnay

Region: Central Otago, New Zealand Grape: 100% Chardonnay (clones 1066, Mendoza, 95) Tasting: White peach / pineapple / lemon zest / acacia / hazelnut / wet stone / oatmeal Pairing: King crab / Smoked salmon / Roast chicken / Rock lobster / Wild mushroom risotto Producer: Te Kano is a family estate built across four sites in Central Otago and a small vineyard in Waitaki, North Otago. Founded by Rhonda Lloyd — Californian by birth, New Zealander by marriage — the project began with a parcel on the famed Felton Road in Bannockburn and grew through the discovery of Northburn, a site sluiced by miners during the Otago gold rush and burned for farming, left barren but right for grapes. The Lloyds have undertaken a long-term regeneration programme there, restoring native fauna and the iconic Kōwhai trees, and the work has pushed the estate toward organic agriculture and a softer hand in the vineyard. Te Kano — the seed, in Māori — is the family's word for what they are doing. Landwalker draws fruit from three distinct vineyards: 68% Northburn, 25% Bannockburn and 8% Waitaki, hand-harvested across clones 1066, Mendoza and 95. Whole bunches are pressed direct to barrel — 20% new, the balance large-format puncheons and smaller barriques — with a high degree of solids carried through. Selected parcels are wild-fermented and stirred on lees, malolactic completes in barrel. The result is bright and elegant: tropical fruit and citrus lifted by subtle florals on the nose, the palate vibrant and textured, crisp acidity threaded with a flinty note, leading to a creamy, layered finish with a quiet touch of oak. ABV: 13.5% Vol: 75cl Allergens: Contains sulphites