Settlement Poplars Chardonnay 2023

From the Brancott Valley, just alongside the famous Section 94 vineyard, the Poplars site was planted in 1992 to the Mendoza clone, now over 30 years old. Alluvium soils over clay subsoil give this site a different character to the river rock and silt of the Wairau Valley floor, producing Chardonnay with real depth and structure.

Hand-picked and racked off solids before wild fermentation in barrel, full malolactic fermentation, and 12 months total élevage with 15% new oak.

“A distinctive bouquet of roasted nut, baked peach and wood with scents of vanilla, butter-cream and spices. Full-bodied and delicious on the palate with full-creamy quality, stone fruits and grapefruit peel, mineral and smoky wood layers. Chardonnay at its most bold and proud with best drinking from 2025 through 2032.” – 94 pts – Excellent – Cameron Douglas

“Rich yet fresh and characterful, offering ripe peaches, quince and hints of honeysuckle and raw almonds. Medium- to full-bodied with impressive concentration of flavors and a juicy flow. Bright and harmonious. Drink or hold. Screw cap.” – 92 pts – James Suckling

“The 2023 Chardonnay Poplars Vineyard is creamy and generously oaky, showing rich golden hues and flinty reduction on first opening. The region’s citrus-like acidity provides hold and tension on the palate, which is full-bodied and surprisingly weighty for a Marlborough Chardonnay. Appetizing sweetness and a bright sour twist are hallmarks of the Mendoza clone. This feels like old-school Chardonnay with its ripe stone fruit flavors and unapologetic oak, but it’s done well. The 2023 was hand-picked, racked off solids, wild- fermented and matured in barrels for 12 months, 15% of which are new.” – 92 pts – Rebecca Gibb MW