Astrolabe Marlborough Chardonnay 2020

Astrolabe Wines is a family-owned and operated winery in Marlborough, New Zealand, who are acknowledged as one of New Zealand's best Sauvignon Blanc producers.
Founded in 1996 by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his wife Jane and later joined by their two daughters, Arabella and Libby, the two generations work closely together today.

Astrolabe's vineyards are spread across Marlborough's sub-regions, including the Awatere Valley, Wairau Valley, and Kēkerengū Coast. This diverse terroir allows the winery to craft wines that express the unique characteristics of each site.

The winery follows organic viticulture programme and is certified by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ). Astrolabe is also carbon zero certified with Toitū, reflecting its commitment to environmental responsibility.

The grapes were sourced from vineyards in the Awatere Valley (66%) and Wairau Valley (34%) of Marlborough. The fruit was hand-harvested between March 27th and April 9th, 2020, then whole-bunch pressed. The free-run juice was fermented in oak barrels, utilising both wild and cultured yeast strains, with some retained grape solids. Frequent lees stirring, full malolactic fermentation and 9 months barrel maturation added to the texture and complexity. The wine was bottled on 10th Feb 2021, filtered, but unfined