Configuration: (6 x 750mL)

Winery: Sato

Appellation: Pisa Terrace, Mount Pisa, Central Otago, South Island

Philosophy/Practices: Biodynamic

Grape Variety: 100% chardonnay

ABV: 14%

95 Points: “Aromas of mandarin orange, quince and apple peel followed by almond and cheese rind with underlying savory dried tea leaves. Ginger. Medium-bodied, crisp acidity. Piquant and zesty, and beautifully harmonized. Impressive purity and reshness.” – James Suckling

Why we love it: Yoshiaki & Kyoko Sato craft this stunning Chardonnay from their own vineyard, La Ferme de Sato, planted 2016 in the famed Central Otago appellation of New Zealand.

La Ferme de Sato sits at quite an elevation above the western edge of Lake Dunstan, at the foothills of the Pisa Mountains that surround Central Otago. Its east-facing aspect means that it receives the gentlest – morning – sun: a critical piece of winegrowing in this region, which sees up to 18 hours of (very warm) sunshine at the peak of summer. The site was just natural grassland with rocky outcrops before the Satos began preparing it for planting. Together, Yoshiaki & Kyoko hand-harvest the grapes with a small crew, use wholly spontaneous, natural fermentation and age the wine in neutral French oak. The resulting wine is unfined, unfiltered and a stunning, silky, nuanced iteration of Central Otago Chardonnay.

Chant du vent means “song of the wind” – a fitting name for the strong gales that are a part of the sweeping landscape of Mount Pisa.