2024 Oraterra Chardonnay | Martinborough, NZ | 96 Points Halliday

🏆 96 Points | An Extraordinary New Chapter in Martinborough Chardonnay

From the Former Dry River Winemaking Team – One of New Zealand's Most Exciting New Estates

96 Points – Halliday Wine Companion | 95 Points – The Wine Front | 95 Points - Campbellmattinson.com | 95 Points - Cameron Douglas MS 

Organic & Biodynamic Viticulture | Wild Fermentation | 18 Months in Large French Oak Foudres

2024 Oraterra Chardonnay

Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand

96 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

95 Points – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

95 Points - Campbell Mattinson, Campbellmattinson.com

RRP $110

Every now and then, a new winery appears that makes the wine world sit up and take notice.

Oraterra is one of those wineries.

And when you discover who's behind it, you immediately understand why.

The former winemaking team from Dry River, one of New Zealand's most celebrated and influential wineries, has embarked on an extraordinary new chapter in Martinborough.

Led by winemaker Wilco Lam, Oraterra combines decades of experience with exceptional vineyards, organic and biodynamic farming, and an uncompromising approach to winemaking.

The results are already turning heads.

2024 ORATERRA CHARDONNAY

96 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

95 POINTS – THE WINE FRONT

This is one seriously exciting Chardonnay.

But don't expect something conventional.

Oraterra isn't interested in producing another predictable, oak-driven Chardonnay.

The ambition is far greater.

To produce wines of individuality, texture, energy and extraordinary vineyard expression.

And the 2024 Chardonnay delivers exactly that.

Tasting Notes – A Chardonnay Unlike Almost Anything Else

This is a fascinating expression of Martinborough Chardonnay.

There's richness, certainly.

But there's also a remarkable combination of savoury complexity, salinity, minerality and electric freshness.

Expect:

• White nectarine and ripe peach

• Green mango

• Tangerine and kumquat

• Preserved lemon

• Honey and delicate florals

• Roasted almond and hazelnut

• Subtle fino-like nuttiness

• Green olive and pimento

• Chalk and crushed stone

• Gentle mint and herbs

• Saline minerality

The aromatics are wonderfully distinctive.

Nectarine, citrus and tropical fruit meet roasted nuts, subtle honey and savoury mineral notes.

Then comes the palate.

Silky. Textural. Concentrated.

But at the same time:

Taut. Energetic. Saline.

There's an extraordinary interplay between the generosity of the fruit and the freshness of the acidity.

The texture glides across the palate, while a fine mineral grip gives the wine definition and precision.

And the finish?

Long, savoury, tangy and beautifully persistent.

This is Chardonnay with personality.

And lots of it.

96 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

An outstanding result for one of Martinborough's most exciting emerging producers.

96 POINTS

This places the 2024 Oraterra Chardonnay firmly among the serious premium Chardonnays worth discovering.

95 Points – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

Gary Walsh's assessment captures what makes this wine so distinctive.

He identifies the combination of nectarine, tangerine, green mango and preserved lemon, alongside almond, nuttiness, mint and honey.

But it's the savoury character that makes the wine particularly interesting.

The saline quality.

The green olive and pimento.

The fine powdery texture.

And the exceptional persistence.

This is not simply a fruit-driven Chardonnay.

It's a complex, individual wine that rewards attention.

Oraterra – The Extraordinary Dry River Connection

This is one of the most compelling stories in New Zealand wine.

For decades, Dry River has been synonymous with some of Martinborough's most sought-after wines.

And Wilco Lam was a central figure in that story.

When Lam and members of the Dry River team moved on to establish Oraterra, they brought with them an extraordinary depth of knowledge about the region.

But they weren't interested in simply recreating Dry River.

They wanted to build something new.

Something that would express their own philosophy.

A deeper connection between vineyard, soil, nature and wine.

That became Oraterra.

The name itself means:

GOLDEN EARTH.

And it reflects the estate's belief that great wine begins with the living soil beneath the vines.

The McCreanor Vineyard – Established in 1986

One of Oraterra's great assets is its vineyard heritage.

The McCreanor Vineyard was originally planted in 1986 by Jack McCreanor.

This is an important site in Martinborough's wine history.

Over the years, its fruit has contributed to wines from respected producers including Martinborough Vineyard and Escarpment.

The property subsequently became known through the On Giant's Shoulders label.

Today, it forms part of the foundation of Oraterra.

Think about that.

An established Martinborough vineyard.

Decades of vine age.

Deep, gravelly soils.

Organic farming.

And a winemaking team with an extraordinary understanding of the region.

That's a formidable combination.

Martinborough – One of New Zealand's Great Wine Regions

Martinborough is one of the most distinctive cool-climate wine regions in the Southern Hemisphere.

Located at the southern end of the Wairarapa Valley, the region benefits from its proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding mountain ranges.

The famous Martinborough Terrace is characterised by ancient river gravels.

These soils are free draining, relatively low in fertility and capable of producing wines with remarkable concentration and mineral definition.

It's a region best known for Pinot Noir.

But Chardonnay?

Martinborough is producing some absolutely extraordinary examples.

And Oraterra is helping demonstrate just how exciting they can be.

Organic, Biodynamic and Regenerative Farming

Oraterra takes its vineyard philosophy seriously.

The estate employs organic, biodynamic and regenerative farming practices designed to encourage healthy soils and resilient vines.

Synthetic fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides are avoided.

Instead, the emphasis is on soil biology, biodiversity and the natural relationships between the vines and their environment.

This isn't simply a marketing exercise.

It's fundamental to how Oraterra approaches wine.

The aim is to produce fruit that expresses the character of its vineyard as clearly as possible.

And to intervene as little as necessary once that fruit reaches the winery.

The 2024 Vintage – A Classic Martinborough Year

After the difficulties of 2023, the 2024 growing season offered a much more favourable set of conditions.

A cool spring and low fruit set were followed by a warm, dry summer and autumn.

Cooler nights helped preserve aromatics and acidity.

Wilco Lam has compared the quality and character of the season with some of Martinborough's great historical vintages.

And the Chardonnay shows why.

There's generous fruit concentration.

Beautiful ripeness.

But also extraordinary freshness and precision.

Richness without heaviness.

Texture without excessive oak.

Concentration without sacrificing elegance.

That's the magic of a great cool-climate vintage.

Winemaking – 18 Months in Large French Oak Foudres

This is where Oraterra's approach becomes particularly fascinating.

The Chardonnay fruit was hand harvested and gently pressed.

After settling, the juice was transferred into large French oak foudres for spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeasts.

Rather than relying on a high proportion of small new oak barrels, Oraterra uses larger oak vessels to encourage texture and complexity without overwhelming the fruit.

The wine underwent natural malolactic fermentation.

Then it remained on its lees for approximately:

18 MONTHS.

That's serious maturation time.

And it's one of the reasons the finished wine has such beautiful texture and savoury complexity.

The 2024 was bottled without fining or filtration.

The result is Chardonnay that feels complete, layered and wonderfully expressive.

Chardonnay for Lovers of Great White Burgundy

If you love Chardonnay from:

Meursault

Puligny-Montrachet

Chassagne-Montrachet

Margaret River

Tasmania

or Mornington Peninsula,

then Oraterra should absolutely be on your radar.

Not because it tries to imitate Burgundy.

Quite the opposite.

This is a wine with a strong identity of its own.

The fruit is distinctive.

The texture is extraordinary.

The salinity is compelling.

And the finish has remarkable energy.

It's precisely the sort of wine that serious Chardonnay drinkers become fascinated by.

Food Pairings

This is a magnificent food wine.

Its combination of richness, savoury complexity and acidity makes it particularly versatile.

Try it with:

• Roast chicken with wild mushrooms

• Grilled crayfish

• Scallops with brown butter

• Kingfish

• Roast pork

• Lobster

• Mushroom risotto

• Turbot or snapper

• Comté

• Gruyère

• Aged Alpine cheeses

Personally, I'd love this with roast chicken, mushrooms and a beautiful buttery sauce.

The Chardonnay has the texture to complement the richness and the acidity to keep everything perfectly balanced.

Cellaring Potential

The 2024 Oraterra Chardonnay is already wonderfully expressive, but its structure suggests there's plenty more to come.

Gary Walsh at The Wine Front recommends a drinking window extending to 2034 and beyond.

Suggested drinking window: 2026–2034+.

With further bottle age, expect the citrus and stone fruit characters to become more savoury, while the roasted nut, honeyed and mineral elements develop additional complexity.

This is a Chardonnay I'd be very happy to put in the cellar.

Why We Love It

Because Oraterra represents something genuinely exciting in New Zealand wine.

An extraordinary winemaking team.

A historic Martinborough vineyard.

Organic and biodynamic farming.

A commitment to natural fermentation.

Long maturation in large oak vessels.

And a Chardonnay that is completely distinctive.

Look at what you're getting:

2024 Vintage

Martinborough, New Zealand

Wilco Lam – Former Dry River Winemaker

Historic McCreanor Vineyard

Organic & Biodynamic Farming

Wild Yeast Fermentation

18 Months on Lees in French Oak Foudres

96 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

95 Points – The Wine Front

All for:

RRP $110

This is not simply another premium Chardonnay.

It's a wine that tells you something about its vineyard, its region and the people who made it.

And that's exactly what great wine should do.

2024 ORATERRA CHARDONNAY

Martinborough, New Zealand

96 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

95 POINTS – THE WINE FRONT

RRP $110

Nectarine. Tangerine. Green mango. Roasted almond. Salinity. Mineral precision. Extraordinary texture.

ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING NEW CHARDONNAYS COMING OUT OF NEW ZEALAND.

If you love serious, beautifully textured Chardonnay with individuality, complexity and genuine cellaring potential, Oraterra is a winery you need to discover.