Powerful, creamy and rich - this wine will only get better with age!

After twelve long months in barrel our Family Reserve Chardonnay 2019 impresses with deep flavours of toasty butterscotch and bran biscuits. Creamy and rich, it is highly textural with a lasting finish.

In exceptional years we carefully select wines for our Family Reserve label. We feel they just have that extra dimension and totally deserve a black label. We hope you’ll enjoy!

Reviews

4 1/2 Stars Michael Cooper
Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling and weighty, in a strongly oak-influenced style with concentrated, peachy, nutty, toasty flavours, balanced acidity and a slightly creamy texture. Still very youthful, it should be at its best 2022+.

94/100 Cameron Douglas MS 
Aromas of ripe yellow and white fleshed stone fruits, red apple, Brazil nut and baking spices of French oak with vanilla and five spice. Complex and spicy on the palate with fruit flavours that mirror the nose, a satin cream texture with flavours of nut and vanilla, peach and mineral stony and clay qualities.
Balanced, well made and ready to drink upon purchase and through 2025+.

Season overview

The weather gods were on our side, giving us an exceptional growing season.

With ample spring rain the vineyard was off to a strong start and quickly grew a vibrant green canopy, the powerhouse producing the energy for the developing fruit.

Grapevines are wind-pollinators and the dry and sunny December was perfect for a good, even fruit set.

From January right into harvest a heat wave and drought gripped Nelson Tasman. Luckily our un-irrigated vines have extremely deep roots and managed to find sufficient water deep down in the gravelly clay soils. They thrived in the challenging conditions and gave us a beautiful crop with outstanding colour and flavours.

Harvest kicked off on 8 March, the earliest starting date at Blackenbrook’s ever.

From Sustainable Production, accredited by
Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand


Vegan wine, certified by the
New Zealand Vegetarian Society