Creating a Legacy through Award-Winning Chardonnay

Consistent recognition is proving both a blessing and a challenge for the makers of this year’s Champion Chardonnay, previous vintage, at the Marlborough Wine Show. 

Officially known as the MRC Champion Chardonnay, 2019 & Older, the title was awarded to the Mount Riley 17 Valley Chardonnay 2019, the latest of many awards for this wine.

Mount Riley Wines Chief Winemaker Matt Murphy says it's a privilege to be able to continue the legacy of such an outstanding wine.

“This wine has a legacy of doing well for quite some time now, so as a team it’s a challenge and a privilege both to continue that legacy and build upon it,” he says.

“Smaller volume wine is also a great opportunity to push style boundaries and make something more interesting and divergent from the path well trodden.”

The most natural wine in the company’s portfolio, its secret is just great fruit, and ‘really low intervention winemaking’, Matt says.

“Generally, not a single winemaking addition is made until eight or nine months post-harvest, so having great fruit is key.

An all round team effort goes into making the wine, using fruit sourced from two of the company’s own estate vineyards, looked after by Sam Adair and his team.

Specifically, the wine uses clone 95 from Mount Riley Wines’ 17 Valley Vineyard, as well as a newer clone, 548, from their St Andrews Vineyard.

“We’re super excited about the potential of the 548. [Winemaker] Mike Mullany looks after things at this end and as with all premium winemaking, the devil is in the detail,” Matt says.

The trophy is one of two Chardonnay trophies sponsored by the Marlborough Research Centre at the show.

Trust Chief Executive Gerald Hope says sponsoring the Chardonnay awards is an opportunity for the organisation to celebrate a great variety that is locally grown.

“We understand and appreciate what it takes to make award winning wine. Marlborough has proven itself vintage after vintage to be a quality grape grower and has many talented and masterly winemakers who weave their magic across a wide range of varietals,” he says. 

“Marlborough grown Chardonnay is a stellar grape and more than matches other great wines produced in New Zealand.”