Otu Limited Release Chardonnay

OTU (pronounced o-two) is Otuwhero Estate and it’s named after the mighty Otuwhero River that runs through the lower valleys of Marlborough. This ancient river provides Otu with vineyards full of rich alluvial gravels and clay soils and along with its remote and rugged coastal setting it’s perfect for producing wines full of intense, ripe flavours! Then throw in a two time International Winemaker of the Year winner overseeing things and you’re on to a winner!

Jeff Clarke is the man and he started his winemaking career at Penfolds in Australia before spending 17 years at Montana wines down the road in Marlborough. He’s also spent time with Church Road in Hawke’s Bay, while respected UK wine journo and Master of Wine Tim Atkin named Jeff as one his top six winemakers globally!

This is their Limited Release series and, not surprisingly, these are wines only released in good vintages in limited quantities when the Otu team identifies top quality fruit worthy of the label. As they put it themselves “Every so often our Chief Winemaker sees something standout; an outstanding vintage, an exceptional block of vines, expressive minerality, exquisite intensity of fruit – and chooses to capture
its finesse. Small parcels, hand selected blocks & always hand crafted.”

This is their Limited Release Chardonnay using Hawke’s Bay fruit from the 2025 vintage, a warm and dry vintage that allowed the fruit to be left on the vine a little longer to ripen and develop rich, intense flavours. A richly flavoured, full bodied Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay that ticks the boxes and then some.

Scoring 5 Stars, 94/100 with local critic Sam Kim who called it “It’s wonderfully fruited with stylish complexity, showing ripe peach, rockmelon, nougat, and almond meal nuances. The concentrated palate delivers a creamy texture and beautifully infused acidity, making it flavoursome and harmonious with a lengthy, satisfying finish. At its best: now to 2030.”