Winemaker Notes

Craighall, our premium Chardonnay, is from prized blocks of low-yielding Mendoza clone vines. The oldest, now over 30 years of age, are situated directly opposite the Ata Rangi home block in the heart of the deep, free-draining gravels that make up the Martinborough Terrace.

The aromatics are very clean and precise: fresh ripe white peach, florals of jasmine blended with a delicate spice note. The palate is complex, with great weight and precision, with a lingering finish which is a hallmark of our Craighall Chardonnay. We love the unforced feel of this wine, no overt oak or fermentation characters; a great representation of the Martinborough Terrace terroir.

18/20 Points

Stephen Wong MW | Wine Sentience

This is quite subdued with restrained reductive notes of flint alongside cashew, grilled lemon, heritage apple fruit and subtle, smoky oak. Reticent aromas of choux pastry and lemon curd hint at the concentration and intensity hidden within.

The palate hides nothing – entering with linearity and impressive power. The acidity runs through this like a bullet train as the very, very long austere finish uncoils with saline, stony and grapefruit pith flavours as the pastry notes from the nose reprise themselves. A perfectly balanced, beautifully detailed, tightly coiled and grandly orchestral Chardonnay – this does not betray any of the vintage’s supposed warmth – it promises to be a very long-lived Craighall. This is where New Zealand Chardonnay crosses into white Burgundy territory with the same finesse, minerality, power and precision, while retaining the brightness, fruit and acidity of its New Zealand terroir. A benchmark wine. 18.0 (a great wine which stands apart from the rest).
June 2020

Ata Rangi Craighall Chardonnay 201 – 96 Points

Bob Campbell, The Real Wine Review

Flagship chardonnay from low-cropping Mendoza clone vines as old as 30 years (which explains the concentration). Intense, power-packed wine with ripe peach, honeysuckle, ginger, toasted nut and brioche flavours. An impressive wine that seems to get better every year. March 2020