2022 Clark Estate “Penelope Jane” Chardonnay

Bronze Medal – 2023 New Zealand International Wine Show

Bronze Medal – 2023 National Wine Awards Aotearoa NZ

Bronze Medal – 2023 The Marlborough Wine Show

Bronze Medal – 2023 Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show

94 points / 5 stars            Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

Gorgeously styled and elegantly expressed, the wine shows rockmelon, apricot, nougat and roasted nut aromas, leading to an elegantly flavoursome palate offering succulent fruit flavours with discreet oak infusion, finishing long and satisfying. At its best: now to 2029. Feb 2023.

92 points / 4 stars            Bob Campbell MW

Silken, almost ethereal, texture with bright, vibrant grapefruit/citrus and nectarine flavours together with ginger and a hint of cashew nut. Fruit-focused wine with a lingering tangy finish. Drink 2023 to 2029. Feb 2023.

92 points Premium            Cameron Douglas MS

The bouquet suggests a quietly spoken wine with subtly and charm. Aromas of fresh white peach and vanilla, red apple flesh and pear with a whisper of quince and barrel toast. A satin touch on the palate with contrasting acidity then white fleshed orchard fruits and lemon flavours coat the palate. The oak is quiet and . understated yet attentive. Well made with decent complexity, lots of texture and length. Best drinking from 2023 through 2027.

90 points / 4 stars            Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews

Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is gentle with stonefruit, citrus, toast and spice aromas. Medium-bodied, aromas of lemon and grapefruit intermixed with apricot, spice and toasty oak elements. Lively acidity flows smoothly with fine-textured phenolics; subtle, elegant toastiness enlivens the finish and closes on a rich note. This Chardonnay is approachable and elegant, with well-portioned oak details adding interest. Feb 2023

Viticulture

Our Chardonnay vines are still young, growing in an area with more stones than soil.  Each year the vines have to survive through harsh frosts, strong winds and stony soils. As a result, yields are always low as the vines divert their energy into surviving rather than producing a heavy crop.  The low yields combined with the long growing season of the Upper Awatere valley intensifies the fruit flavours ready for harvest in late March.

Winemaking

Our style of Chardonnay is driven by the cool climate of the Awatere Valley and the use of older oak barrels.  The subtle oak flavours integrate beautifully with the citrus and lighter stone fruit flavours of the fruit.  Once ferment is complete, the wines are kept in barrel for several months maturing on the yeast lees.  Before bottling, the wines undergo Malo-Lactic fermentation, although this is kept to around 30% so as not to dominate the final wine.

Wine Analysis

pH        3.31

TA        5.74 g/L

Alc       13.5%

RS       0.4 g/L

Penelope Jane is one of the founders and matriarch of Clark Estate.  Mother to Sarah, Jennifer and Simon, and wife to Peter.  Ever since planting the first vines, Jane, as she is known, has wanted a Chardonnay to call her own. So, it is fitting that the wine made from our Chardonnay vines, where they have had to work hard and battle the many challenges but end up beautifully refined and elegant, take on the name of Penelope Jane Clark.

Our single-vineyard Chardonnay is beautifully balanced with delicate citrus and stone notes, lightly integrated with oak flavours to create a wine that has both finesse and power.