Organic. Sitting in the lee of the Wither Hills to the southeast of the Wairau Valley floor, the Brawn Vineyard lies on Kaiapoi silt loam over pea gravel, closer to the ocean than Corofin’s other sites. It’s home to an old-vine Mendoza clone that is now rare in Marlborough, “most of the old blocks have been ripped out and replaced with Sauvignon,” sighs Paterson. It’s the thick skins of this old-vine fruit that Paterson credits with his wine’s succulent extract and spice tones. In addition, both Glover and Paterson have identified a unique saline/umami note to the Chardonnay from this site. “It’s a wonderful block to work with,” says Mike Paterson.
This year, Brawn was hand-harvested two weeks after Wrekin and pressed at a snail’s pace to extract all this coastal vineyard’s striking fruit intensity. Of the two single vineyards this year, Brawn is again the more textural and exuberant; the nose brings more spice and the mouthcoating palate is layered with notes of yellow fruit, wild fennel and blossom all leaning into a chiselled finish. Two winters aging on lees brings composure and brightness. This is elite-level Chardonnay.