Catalina Sounds Sound of White Chardonnay 2021 - Marlborough, New Zealand

94/100 Cameron Douglas MS
90/100 James Suckling (2020 vintage)
Bronze - New Zealand Wine Rater (2020 vintage)
93/100 New Zealand Wine Rater (2019 vintage)
92/100 Bob Campbell, The Real Review (2019 vintage)

Double Gold - New Zealand International Wine Show (2020 vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2020 vintage)
Bronze - International Wine Challenge (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2019 vintage)

Cameron Douglas MS "Very attractive bouquet with freshness, a touch of gun flint and ripe orchard fruits aromas. Flavours on the palate start with a gentle vanilla sweetness and baking spice of oak then ripe grapefruit and cashew nut. Tannins are fine and work well with the acid line to add texture and mouthfeel. The gun flint is a quality that suits this style and enhances the citrus and orchard fruits freshness. Well made with excellent drinking"

James Suckling "A creamy and buttery chardonnay with aromas of apricots, green apples, salted butter and praline. Hints of nougat. Medium-bodied and creamy throughout, with tangy acidity." (2020 vintage)

New Zealand Wine Rater "Pale in hue and clearly very youthful, restrained and reductive on the nose right now. Showing lemon citrus notes with aromas of chive flowers and some earthy, lees characters. Fresh and lively on the palate with distinctive, crisp acidity. A wine that clearly needs more time to show its best." (2020 vintage)

Decanter World Wine Awards "Restrained nose displaying gentle aromas of melon, peach, lemon and smoky notes. Finely rendered fruit, quite concentrated, silky and fresh." (2020 vintage)

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "From Catalina's Sounds of White vineyard in the Waihopai Valley. Tangy, fruit-focused chardonnay with green apple, lime, subtle toast and gingery yeast lees characters. A fresh, crisp wine that promises to age well." (2019 vintage)

New Zealand Wine Rater "A vibrant, youthful, funky wine on the bouquet. Th ere are intense aromas of grapefruit, salted lemon, toast/vanilla oak, with hints of gun-flint, and struck match. The wine is dry, and fleshy with plenty of drive, a grainy, salty texture nicely balanced with salivating acidity, and a strong barrel influence. All bodes well for the wine to further integrate with time." (2019 vintage)

Decanter World Wine Awards "Flinty aromatics suggests a reductive style with pure apple fruit underneath. Lovely silken texture with tangy acidity and decent length." (20019 vintage)

Marlborough based award-winning winery, Catalina Sounds is known for wines which harness the purity and vibrancy of Marlborough’s climate and landscape. The name Catalina Sounds evolved from the majestic Catalina flying boats that played a vital role across the South Pacific during and after World War II.

Marlborough is by far New Zealand's most important wine region. Situated at the north-eastern tip of the South Island, this dry, sunny region produces around three-quarters of all New Zealand wine. It is particularly famous for its pungent, zesty Sauvignon Blanc - widely considered by critics to be the best Sauvignon currently produced anywhere on the planet. Commercial-scale viticulture began in Marlborough the 1970s – it conquered the world within 25 years!

The aim for our Chardonnay from Sound of White is always quality. Meticulously well managed, clone 95 Chardonnay is grown on clay-loam soils at our Sound of White vineyard in the Waihopai Valley (part of the sought-after Southern Valleys). Shoot-thinning and leafplucking keep the canopy open and fruit hanging freely. Yields are purposely kept low around 6-7 T/Ha to ensure ripe concentration and balance.