Blank Canvas
Reed Vineyard Chardonnay 2024 750ml

New Release

ACCOLADES

‘The refined 2024 vintage (*****) was hand-picked at the confluence of  the Waihopai and Wairau valleys.  Bright, light lemon/green, it is a mouthfilling, vigorous, savoury wine, with peachy, citrusy, gently biscuity flavours, showing excellent intensity, vibrancy and complexity.  Still youthful, with finely tuned acidity and a lingering finish, it's a very stylish wine, well worth cellaring for several years.’

5 STARS | MICHAEL COOPER MZ ONZM | SEPTEMBER 2025

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‘Sourced from growers Pete and Anne Reed on a vineyard that sits in central Wairau, on an elevated terrace near the confluence of the Waihopai and Wairau Rivers. The site allows for slow, even ripening and the development of fine acidity and structure – qualities that were exacerbated by the exceptional 2024 vintage, which naturally gave low yields and vibrant acidities due to low night-time temperatures. Hand picking, whole-bunch pressing, wild ferments in French oak puncheons (40% new) and oak ageing for 11 months has given an exceptionally well defined and compelling style packed full of flinty, citric, nutty, toasty, smoky flavours and a vibrant, tense finish. ‘Is this the best one we’ve made so far..?’ muses Thomson while we taste. Irrespective: it’s fabulous. And still very young – this is a wine that will age well too, given its natural vibrancy and tension.’

97 POINTS | NZ WINES OF THE YEAR LIST & BEST WINEMAKER | SUSIE & PETER NEW ZEALAND WINES OF THE YEAR | JANUARY 2026

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‘Powerful aromas of reduction to start with gunflint, smoke and struck match to the fore. Savoury oak adds another layer of complexity. On the palate the fruit is ripe and dense and easily offsets the reduction. But it is a fine balance, at this stage weighted towards the reduction. However, the long savoury, almost meaty finish indicates that for the patient, this will develop into a very fine wine.’

96 POINTS (5 STARS) | JANE SKILTON MW | INSIDE BURGANDY | AUGUST 2025 

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Top 100 Wines of New Zealand 2025 (#26)   ‘So perfumed and full of character, with wild, energetic power, offering aromas of beeswax, dried rosemary, crunchy stone fruit and savory orange peel. Medium- to full-bodied with tense, lively acidity and a tight phenolic structure, showing expressive fruit, smoke, minerals and crushed stones at the end. A beautiful wine. Drink now or hold. Screw cap.’

96 POINTS | JAMES SUCKLING | OCTOBER 2025

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‘High-energy chardonnay with hints of green apple, wet stone, peppery oak, nutty yeast and oyster shell flavours. A mix of purity and power. A thoroughbred that promises to age magnificently.’  96 POINTS | BOB CAMPBELL MW | JULY 2025

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‘Concentrated, fine, mineral and expressive. A powerful wine with lovely citrus intensity, layered complexity and good acidity. Such refinement here allied to power. Amazing.’

95 POINTS | JAMIE GOODE | JANURAY 2026

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‘A delicious wine with a fine balance between fruit power and wine maker inputs. Aromas of fresh white and yellow stone fruits, grapefruit peel and apple. These fruit ideas are framed by a a judicious and delicate hand showing fine lees and barrel spices, some newer wood and definitively older barrel suggestions. Full-bodied with a satin mouthfeel then fine tannins and plenty of acidity. A wine that will age well with best drinking from 2026 through 2032.’

94 POINTS | CAMERON DOUGLAS MS | AUGUST 2025

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‘Strong, smoky, struck flint reduction dominates when first poured, requiring vigorous aeration to dislodge. The palate is sleek and saline with an incredibly tense acid backbone. It briefly opens with air to reveal grilled lemon, oyster shell and rosemary flowers before closing down with crushed rock and subtle cinnamon oak on the finish. Impressively concentrated yet taut young wine which will need time to absorb its reduction before it is ready for prime time. This is firmly in the modernist camp and will age gradually on its axis of acidity and austerity’.

94 POINTS | STEPHEN WONG | OCTOBER 2025

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Selected in the Top Marlborough Chardonnay – John Saker Tasting   ‘This is really smart. A salty, silvery line of reduction and lively acidity underpins a salivating, weighty core of fruit. Lime and sweet lemon, green tea, green olives. It’s a high-revving, restless style, though disciplined and finely structured. Bold and wonderfully refreshing.’

JOHN SAKER | DECEMBER 2025