Winning Chardonnay a Synergy of Flavours Thanks to Careful Handling from Vine to Bottle

Minimal intervention was at the forefront when Rapaura Springs Winemaker Mike Bann set about to make the trophy-winning Single Vineyard Bouldevines Vineyard Chardonnay 2020.

The wine was awarded the MRC Champion Chardonnay, Current Vintage, at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

The trophy came as a surprise to Mike, given the high calibre of the wines which received gold medals at the Marlborough Wine Show.

“It is a little surreal to be awarded a trophy in front of your peers. We pride ourselves on all the varieties that we make, however as a winemaker, and someone who loves Chardonnay, this recognition is particularly special,” he says.

The winning wine, he says, has a real sense of place.

“The Rapaura Springs Bouldevines Vineyard Chardonnay is a true expression of the vineyard it comes from, and the terroir.

“We aim to use minimal intervention in our winemaking, and the resulting wine has many nuances. The opulent fruit expression is complemented with complex fermentation characters and oodles of texture and complexity on the palate with a soft, yet powerful, drive to the finish.”

Chardonnay continues to gain traction in Marlborough, off the back of experimentation and learning by the region’s growers and winemakers.

“As winemakers, I think we’re constantly learning and making better decisions in both the vineyard and winery. A combination of focused clonal selection and viticultural practices, combined with vine age, has resulted in more and more world-class Chardonnay being produced here in Marlborough,” Mike says.

“Each of Marlborough’s subregions offers unique growing conditions. It is exciting to see the development of subregional wines from all varieties here in Marlborough, which help to showcase the diversity of our wine region.”

The making of the trophy-winning wine was another example of our teams working well together throughout the process, Mike says.

“I’d like to thank our grower partners, the Walsh family, for being so dedicated and supportive. Without them we could not make the Rapaura Springs Bouldevines Vineyard Chardonnay. I’d also like to acknowledge the viticultural and winery team and the judges, sponsors and organisers of the Marlborough Wine Awards. We’re very lucky to have a regional event of this calibre,” he says.

The Champion Chardonnay, Current Vintage trophy is one of two trophies dedicated to Chardonnay at the Show, both sponsored by the Marlborough Research Centre (MRC).

MRC Chief Executive Gerald Hope says sponsoring the Chardonnay awards is an opportunity for the New Zealand Wine Centre 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 mastered the art of winemaking by creating both traditional and modern styles of chardonnay. This year the respective winemakers expressed what can be produced in the vineyard matched by careful handling in the winery,” he says.

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