2022 Ata Rangi Masters Chardonnay

97 POINTS

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

Exquisitely elegant and sophisticated, the wine shows white flesh stone fruit, crunchy apple, white floral and oatmeal nuances on the nose, followed by a brilliantly focused palate exhibiting linear mouthfeel and seamless flow. Offering exceptional purity as well as impressive structure, this is gorgeously poised with a outstanding line and length.

96 POINTS

Emma Jenkins MW - Decanter

The third release of the Masters Chardonnay (grown on winemaker Helen Masters’ own vineyard) is a truly lovely wine. With notes of cantaloupe, peach, oatmeal and white flowers, it’s compact and subtle yet very detailed. Savoury, taut and textural while retaining good delicacy, and very long with a dry, pithy finish. Very satisfying.

94 POINTS

Mike Bennie - Halliday Wine Companion

An expansive and supple chardonnay, toasty, smoky, cinnamon, nougat, rockmelon, sea spray, a touch of seaweed even and vanilla cream in tow. It's quite a lush wine, overt and pleasing in its bolder sense, though a good chill does tighten up the wine nicely and to a squeaky point. Layers and layers here.

94 POINTS

James Suckling

You can sense the density of chardonnay fruit in this wine the moment you open it. It shows apple and biscuit aromas and flavors as well as flint and white peaches. It’s medium-bodied with ripe apple and praline flavors and a peachy aftertaste with just the right amount of wood. Structure with freshness.

93 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2022 Masters Chardonnay leads with curry leaves, fennel seeds and shortbread, and the palate is a slick affair populated by sweet yellow peach, cumin and lemon curd. This is streamlined in the extreme, the malolactic fermentation shooting down any strays and creating cohesion and texture in the mouth. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

91 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

This comes to me via Fluffy Hair Adair’s visit to the Ata Rangi cellar door last week, though I do have samples of the 2021 and 2022 Pinot Noir sent via usual channels to review shortly. Struck match, smoky, rockmelon and nougat, a buttered pasty thing too, spicy oak,  It’s rich in flavour, a whole lot of ripe rockmelon and paw paw, parmesan rind, very savoury and quite worked up, a grapefruit tang to acidity, with a cheese pastry twist finish of solid length. A bold expression, juicy and carrying a load of winery work. An experience, yes, though perhaps not an easy wine to drink.