2021 Chardonnay Tiratore La Collina Vineyard

Warren Gibson and his partner, Lorraine Leheny, have long been building a reputation for stylish, savory Syrah with their cuvée La Collina. Still, they’ve arrived on the Chardonnay scene as a contender for best Chardonnay producer in the country. The first Chardonnay in the line-up is Kaikora. Planted in 2018, these young vines are a half-hour drive away from the main blocks. It’s a cooler, later-picked site, leading to higher malic acid levels than the other two sites. As a result of its youth and natural acidity, there’s no new oak and only partial malolactic fermentation. However, the results are already very exciting at this tender age: delicate, pure and persistent. The other single-vineyard Chardonnays, Trelinnoe and Tiratore, are planted on steep hillsides, a javelin throw apart. Trelinnoe (formerly known as the Cypress Vineyards) is a steep, north-facing slope on sandstone planted in 2001. The Tiratore is so-called as it is Italian for hunter or shooter; many spent bullets were found on the site while planting the vines, as it used to be a popular spot for locals to go shooting. The Tiratore tends to be more prone to reduction (in a positive way) than the Trelinnoe. An hour with the pair provides a masterclass in Chardonnay winemaking. For all the single-vineyard wines, the free-run juice is sent straight to barrel before undergoing an indigenous ferment. To avoid any ‘nasties,’ a little SO2 might be used, and the wines might be given some air. Full malolactic conversion is standard. The wines are savory and seamless, with a thread of natural acidity and well-handled phenolics. I prefer the Tiratore with its innate power, but time will tell. Tasting the 2021s alongside the 2022s, it seems that the 2021s will be later to come around and longer-lived due to their intense concentration, power and acidity. The 2021s are full of substance – they’re almost a meal in themselves. The 2022s offer more fluidity, perhaps due to some pre-harvest rain after a very dry period. There will be no 2023 single-vineyard wines from either Trelinnoe or Tiratore due to the unfortunate timing of Cyclone Gabrielle.