Pyramid Valley

2024 Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay | Double 94 Points | New Zealand

Name: 2024 Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay | Double 94 Points | New Zealand
Brand: Pyramid Valley
Price: 55.00 AUD
Availability: InStock

$55.00 AUD

Sale Sold out

Shipping calculated at checkout.

🏆 Double 94 Points | The Extraordinary New Zealand Chardonnay That Even Fooled Jancis Robinson into Thinking It Was Burgundy!

94 Points – JamesSuckling.com | 94 Points – Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous

Plus 17.5/20 – Jancis Robinson | A Remarkable Chardonnay from One of New Zealand's Most Fascinating Producers!

2024 Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay

North Canterbury, New Zealand

RRP $55

What if I told you that one of the world's most respected wine critics tasted a New Zealand Chardonnay blind and thought it was Burgundy?

Well, that's exactly what happened with the 2024 Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay.

And the critic?

JANCIS ROBINSON MW!

She awarded the wine an outstanding 17.5 out of 20 and admitted that she had thought it was Burgundy.

How extraordinary is that?

And look at the other scores!

94 POINTS – JAMES SUCKLING!

94 POINTS – REBECCA GIBB MW, VINOUS!

17.5/20 – JANCIS ROBINSON!

Three extraordinary endorsements for a Chardonnay with an RRP of just $55.

But here's what makes this wine even more exciting.

The 2024 vintage represents an important new chapter for Pyramid Valley.

For the first time, its North Canterbury Chardonnay includes a meaningful contribution from the winery's new plantings at its famous Waikari estate.

And that has brought an extra dimension of freshness, tension and mineral precision to the wine.

This is exactly the sort of Chardonnay we love discovering at Liquid Vibe!

Pyramid Valley – One of New Zealand's Most Extraordinary Wine Estates

The Pyramid Valley story begins in 2000.

That's when American-born winemaker Mike Weersing and his wife Claudia established their remarkable vineyard in the Waikari district of North Canterbury.

And from the beginning, they wanted to do something different.

Very different.

They weren't interested in simply producing another New Zealand Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

They wanted to create wines that expressed the smallest differences in soil, landscape and vineyard position.

They studied the land.

They explored the geology.

They examined how the surrounding hills influenced the vineyard.

And they embraced biodynamic viticulture.

The result was one of the most unusual and ambitious vineyard projects in New Zealand.

Pyramid Valley became famous for its extraordinarily detailed vineyard approach and its remarkable single-vineyard wines.

Particularly the celebrated Field of Fire Chardonnay and Lion's Tooth Chardonnay.

Today, Pyramid Valley is owned by Steve Smith MW and Brian Sheth, with winemaking led by Huw Kinch.

And the estate continues to produce some of New Zealand's most fascinating cool-climate wines.

Here's Something Most People Don't Know – The Vineyard Was Designed Around the Soil

Mike Weersing's original vision for Pyramid Valley was extraordinary.

He believed that the finest wines came from a deep understanding of the relationship between vines and their environment.

And he took that philosophy to remarkable lengths.

The vineyard was divided into tiny parcels based on their different soil and geological characteristics.

Each parcel was treated as an individual expression of the land.

The objective wasn't simply to grow grapes.

It was to understand why vines growing only a short distance apart could produce wines with completely different personalities.

That philosophy helped establish Pyramid Valley as one of the most distinctive wine estates in the Southern Hemisphere.

And it continues to influence the wines today.

North Canterbury – One of the World's Most Exciting Chardonnay Regions

North Canterbury is an extraordinary place to grow Chardonnay.

Located on New Zealand's South Island, the region combines cool growing conditions with abundant sunshine and the influence of both the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Alps.

The vineyards experience significant seasonal variation.

Warm summer days can develop excellent flavour concentration.

Cooler nights help preserve acidity.

And the long growing season allows Chardonnay to develop remarkable complexity.

But here's what makes North Canterbury particularly interesting.

The soils.

The region contains an extraordinary variety of clay, limestone, gravel and ancient geological formations.

And these different soil types create fascinating variations in vineyard performance.

The finest Chardonnays can display:

Beautiful citrus purity.

White stone fruit.

Fine savoury complexity.

Chalky texture.

Saline acidity.

And extraordinary length.

It's no surprise that North Canterbury has become one of the most exciting places in New Zealand for premium Chardonnay.

The 2024 Vintage – A New Chapter for Pyramid Valley

Here's where things become particularly fascinating.

The 2024 growing season was influenced by El Niño.

Warm, dry conditions produced beautifully ripe fruit and moderate yields.

And an exceptionally dry finish to the season helped concentrate flavours.

But the real story is the vineyard composition.

For the first time, the 2024 North Canterbury Chardonnay includes a meaningful contribution from Pyramid Valley's new Waikari plantings.

That's a significant development.

Because Waikari is home to the estate's celebrated single-vineyard wines.

And the addition of this fruit has helped give the regional Chardonnay greater freshness, structure and mineral tension.

The winery describes the result as more chiselled and refined.

A wine with subtle but beautifully layered flavours.

And a wonderful saline backbone.

This is not simply another vintage of Pyramid Valley Chardonnay.

It's an important evolution of the wine.

The Winemaking – Wild Fermentation, French Oak and Extraordinary Patience

The winemaking behind the 2024 release is fascinating.

And it's far more detailed than you might expect for a Chardonnay at this price.

The fruit was:

Hand-picked.

Hand-sorted.

Crushed as whole bunches.

Gently pressed in a horizontal bag press.

The juice was then transferred to large French oak foudres and barrels.

But here's something particularly interesting.

Only 23% of the oak was new.

That means the emphasis is on preserving fruit purity rather than introducing obvious new-oak flavours.

Fermentation occurred naturally with indigenous yeasts.

The wine then underwent full malolactic fermentation.

And here's where things become particularly fascinating.

The wine spent 12 months on its lees without added sulphur.

It was subsequently blended and sulphured in April 2025.

Then it spent a second winter resting on light lees in small stainless-steel tanks.

The wine was finally bottled in September 2025.

Unfined.

Unfiltered.

And sealed under screwcap.

That's an extraordinary amount of time and attention for a Chardonnay at an RRP of $55.

And it helps explain the wine's beautiful texture and complexity.

Tasting Notes – Lemon, Hazelnut, Brioche and Beautiful Saline Minerality

The 2024 Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay is a wonderfully complex wine.

But here's what makes it so interesting.

It's not about enormous fruit flavours.

It's about texture.

Structure.

Subtlety.

And the way the wine develops in the glass.

The aromatics reveal:

Fresh lemon and lemon peel
Lemongrass
White nectarine
Delicate chamomile
White flowers
Toasted hazelnut
Brioche
Subtle herbal complexity
Fine flinty mineral notes

The palate is beautifully textured.

There's lovely citrus concentration.

But also a distinctive savoury quality.

The extended lees maturation brings wonderful depth.

A subtle nutty character adds complexity.

And the wine has an almost chalky texture.

But what really makes it exciting is the acidity.

Fresh. Saline. Beautifully persistent.

It cuts through the wine's richness and provides extraordinary definition.

The finish is long, savoury and wonderfully mineral.

Lemon. White nectarine. Chamomile. Hazelnut. Brioche. Chalky minerality. Saline acidity. Extraordinary length.

This is Chardonnay with genuine sophistication.

Why This Chardonnay Is Such Extraordinary Value

Let's look at what you're getting.

A wine from one of New Zealand's most celebrated Chardonnay producers.

Fruit from carefully managed North Canterbury vineyards.

A meaningful contribution from the famous Waikari estate.

Hand-picked fruit.

Wild fermentation.

French oak maturation.

Twelve months on lees.

A second winter of maturation.

Unfined and unfiltered bottling.

Two outstanding 94-point scores.

And a 17.5/20 review from Jancis Robinson.

All for an RRP of $55.

That's a seriously impressive package.

For Lovers of Great White Burgundy

If you love beautifully refined Chardonnay from Burgundy, this wine deserves your attention.

Particularly if you appreciate wines with:

Citrus purity.

Fine savoury complexity.

Subtle oak.

Chalky texture.

Saline acidity.

And extraordinary length.

The Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay has many of those same qualities.

But it's not trying to imitate Burgundy.

It's expressing the remarkable vineyards of North Canterbury.

And that's what makes it so exciting.

Cellaring Potential

The winery suggests a drinking window of:

2026–2030.

I'd happily open a bottle now.

But this is also a Chardonnay that should reward a little patience.

The wine's structure, acidity and savoury complexity suggest it will continue to develop beautifully over the coming years.

As it matures, expect deeper hazelnut, brioche and savoury complexity.

And that wonderful saline acidity should continue to provide freshness and definition.

Food Pairings

This is a magnificent food wine.

I'd recommend:

Freshly grilled scallops
King George whiting
Roast chicken with lemon and thyme
Southern rock lobster
Mushroom risotto
Grilled snapper
Comté or Gruyère

Personally, I'd love this with freshly grilled scallops, brown butter and lemon.

The combination of citrus freshness, nutty complexity and saline acidity would be absolutely sensational.

Why We Love It at Liquid Vibe

Because this is exactly what makes discovering great Chardonnay so exciting.

A remarkable producer.

An extraordinary vineyard history.

One of New Zealand's most fascinating wine regions.

A thoughtful, patient approach to winemaking.

Beautiful texture.

Fine mineral precision.

And three outstanding critic reviews.

Look at what you're getting.

2024 Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay

North Canterbury, New Zealand

94 Points – JamesSuckling.com

94 Points – Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous

17.5/20 – Jancis Robinson

2024 – First Meaningful Contribution from Waikari Estate Plantings

Wild Fermentation

23% New French Oak

Full Malolactic Fermentation

12 Months on Lees Without Added Sulphur

Unfined and Unfiltered

13.5% Alcohol

RRP $55

This is serious Chardonnay.

But it's also wonderfully enjoyable.

A wine with beautiful purity, extraordinary texture and a genuine sense of place.

And at this price, it's one of the most compelling ways to discover the remarkable wines of Pyramid Valley.