“A grand, swaggering, Pouilly-Fuissé-bashing beauty, a glorious organic wine and a bargain to boot.” - Matthew Jukes

As white Burgundy becomes an ever rarer and more expensive bird, we the impecunious, look to other parts of the world for our lightly oaked, flinty Chardonnay fix and New Zealand’s cool climate provides so many wonderful and great value alternatives, like Kumeu River and Blank Canvas. This Burgundy-shaped beauty, from Spoke Vineyards, has all the poise and elegance of a Saint Veran, with a wispy smokiness, reminiscent of cold mesquite embers, that permeates aromas of white peach, grapefruit and lime. On the palate, you’ll find subtle layers of shortbread and toasted hazelnuts from the barrel ageing, as well as kilowatt of citrus energy that animates the flavours through to a lip-smacking finish. 12.5% alc. Drink now-2028.

Press reviews:

Decanter: “Dried herb and subtle smoke accompany ripe sweet lemon on the nose. That ripe, juicy, mouthwatering lemon is also present on the slender yet expressive and concentrated palate, illuminating lovely savouriness as well as texture. The finish is long, spicy and wonderfully layered, with just the right amount of oak accents lent by barrel fermentation. Drink now-2030.” 93 points

Matthew Jukes: “This is the only Chardonnay outside of the Felton Road trio, to gain a gold medal score in my notes. It’s a grand, swaggering, Pouilly-Fuissé-bashing beauty, a glorious organic wine and a bargain to boot.” ‘Top 50 Wines of 2022’

Jancis Robinson MW: “Pale straw. Zesty, citrus-peel quality. Lots to enjoy, with a hint of smokiness and no shortage of fruit. Some lemon-sherbet quality. 12.5% alc. Drink now-2026.” 16.5 points

JancisRobinson.com (Florencia Gomez): “Expressive and complex scents of smoke, pure citrus, white flowers. Subtle salty minerality makes it mouth-watering and savoury. Persistent finish. Drink now-2028.” 17 points

Vegan friendly.

Customer comments:

“We had a bottle of the Spoke Chardonnay last night which I thought was excellent!” - Mr A.W.

“Enjoying this!” - Mr J.M.

“Tried my first bottle last night, delicious.” - Mr F.W.