Ata Rangi Potiki Chardonnay 2023

95 POINTS

James Suckling

A compact yet rich chardonnay for this vintage, showing cooked apples, pears and hints of smoky aromas and flavors with some grilled oak and flint at the end. Lemongrass and white flowers too. Medium- to full-bodied, this has attractive fruit and a spicy finish. Lots going on here.

94 POINTS

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

Offering finesse and poise, the wine shows white flesh peach, Gala apple, subtle vanilla, and almond meal characters on the nose. The palate displays excellent weight and refined texture, splendidly structured by fine acidity, finishing with a terrific line and length. Harmonious and complex, it’s beautifully proportioned with a lengthy, elegant finish.

93 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

Helen Masters was supposed to visit last week to taste through the new Ata Rangi releases with me, though she came down with a nasty cold and cancelled, which is a shame, though I’m also grateful for her consideration because colds really slow down the process of reviewing wine for people in my game. Anyway, a box of wines was delivered this week that came over with her as checked luggage, so now I’ve the opportunity not to review in haste. Quite a wild thing to smell with plenty of struck match, white peach, lime, green olive, spiced oatmeal and almond. It’s a bright and frisky wine, almond and white fruit, some green bean sulphide character, though it’s more a complexing agent than a dominant thing, it’s chalky and tangy with a spicy ripe lime and grapefruit finish offering excellent length. Perhaps a strange thing to say, but if you like the style of Kumeu River, then I reckon this will hold much appeal.

Rebecca Gibb MW - Vinous

The 2023 Chardonnay Põtiki is the vinous equivalent of a silk purse made from a sow's ear. This barrel-fermented Chardonnay offers nutty biscuits and citrus tones. It has great acidity that brings it together and provides a real tang on the finish. A creamy element was built through full lees contact for a year followed by light lees contact for a second year, which also lends a touch of flintiness. Though it might not have the padding of better vintages, it's a good 2023.