A Longer History of Chardonnay in the Waitaki Valley

Oct 28

3 min read

Clos Ostler’s first Chardonnay was released from the 2024 vintage, but Chardonnay in the Waitaki Valley has a longer history. Earlier bottles show that growers were exploring the variety here well before the current estate release, in quantities small enough for much of that record to remain unfamiliar.

That distinction matters. The arrival of Clos Ostler Chardonnay did not begin a regional category. It added a new chapter to a slender sequence of wines shaped by a long, cool season and the small scale of Waitaki viticulture.

A documented Waitaki Chardonnay from 2008

On 4 July 2012, the Otago Daily Times reviewed the John Forrest Collection Waitaki Chardonnay 2008. The wine was three years old at the time of the review and received four stars. The note described a mature, mouthfilling wine with nutty and caramel detail, a mellowed character and a long aftertaste.

A second Otago Daily Times tasting published five days later placed the same wine within a broader Waitaki selection and described it as understated, integrated, crisp and mineral, with stone fruit supported by fine oak. These dated reviews establish more than the existence of an early bottle. They show a Waitaki Chardonnay being assessed after several years in bottle, with freshness and texture already central to the discussion.

A small line of releases through the next decade

Valli’s archive provides another clear point in the regional record. Its Waitaki Vineyard Chardonnay 2015 was made in very small quantity and described through lemon zest, baked biscuit, flint, nutmeg, lees-derived texture and length. The archive continues with 2017 and 2018 releases, making it possible to follow Chardonnay across several seasons rather than treat it as a single experiment.

Raymond Chan reviewed the 2015 blind on 4 April 2017. He awarded it 20 points out of 20 and recorded a production of only 100 cases. His note emphasised freshness, finesse, citrus and stone fruit, creamy barrel texture, fine acidity and the gradual appearance of underlying power.

The vocabulary differs between the John Forrest and Valli wines, as it should. The important continuity lies in a regional interest in Chardonnay that could combine ripeness with acidity, and barrel-derived texture with a clear line through the palate.

The Clos Ostler chapter begins in 2024

The 2024 vintage was the first Chardonnay released from the Clos Ostler monopole. It came from clone 95 on the estate’s north-facing limestone slope and was fermented in barrel. Candice Chow awarded the wine 95 points, finding energy, integrated creaminess and flinty detail around nectarine, grapefruit, wildflower and stony aromas.

The 2025 followed with a different balance. Approximately half of the wine completed malolactic fermentation, while the full volume was fermented and matured in barrel with about 35 per cent new French oak. Chow awarded it 96 points and described tension, elegance and a creamy elevated texture, with lime, nectarine, blossom, spice and almond among the aromatic details.

Two releases do not yet constitute a long estate history. They do, however, extend a regional history already visible in the 2008, 2015, 2017 and 2018 wines. Clos Ostler’s contribution is defined by one walled vineyard, a very small Chardonnay planting and the opportunity to follow the same north-facing site through successive seasons.

Rarity with a record behind it

New Zealand Winegrowers recorded only 6.1 producing hectares of Chardonnay in the Waitaki Valley in 2024. The figure explains why these bottles are difficult to encounter, but scarcity alone is not the argument. The stronger reason to pay attention is the sequence now forming across producers and vintages.

Waitaki Chardonnay has already shown more than one expression. The 2008 review recorded mature breadth. Valli’s 2015 brought finesse and underlying power from a tiny production. Clos Ostler’s first two wines place floral lift, citrus freshness and finely drawn texture at the centre of the estate’s emerging style.

For readers discovering New Zealand Chardonnay beyond its largest regions, this history gives the Waitaki greater substance. It is not a category created by a single recent release. It is a small, demanding tradition that can now be followed with increasing precision.