Carrick Cairnmuir Terraces EBM Chardonnay 2023
- 95
- $67
- Drink by: 2026-2036
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The name for this most impressive Central Otago Chardonnay, ‘EBM’, comes from “Extended Barrel Maturation”. The team see that the wine receives a year and a half in French oak, using their finest barrels. The fruit is from a single vineyard, and single clone (Mendoza), which was planted in 1994. The grapes were whole bunch pressed and fermentation was with wild yeasts. This is an absolutely cracking Chardonnay. Just 200 cases made. Deep gold, this is intense and yet remains refined at all times. Powerful, focused and seamless, with such impressive length, there is real persistence here. The nose offers notes of ginger, stone fruits, glacéd lemon, cashews, oatmeal and hints of orange rind. Finely balanced throughout, this is a wine with energy and life to it. Enjoy this over the next ten years.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
