Coopers Creek Swamp Reserve Chardonnay

If big, rich, deliciously golden, full bodied Chardonnay is your thing then slap on some gummies and get yourself knee deep into the Swamp. Coopers Creek Swamp Reserve Chardonnay is Coopers Creeks’ flagship white wine, their pride and joy and and an iconic NZ Chardonnay well deserving of its $38 cellar door price.

This is their 2020 release using fruit premium single vineyard fruit from the Havelock North hills, hand harvested fruit, whole bunch pressed, 40% of the blend is aged in expensive new French oak. The wine is left on yeast lees for 10 months which adds richness and complexity.

This is a classic Swamp release from an excellent 2020 vintage, getting the usual rave reviews we come to expect of it…

5 Stars (Michael Cooper)
“Based on the winery’s best Hawke’s Bay grapes, this seductive Chardonnay has a finely judged balance of rich, citrusy, peachy fruit flavours and toasty oak. Hand-picked in the company’s Middle Road Vineyard at Havelock North, it is fermented and matured in French oak barriques (40 per cent new in 2020), and given a full, softening malolactic fermentation. The 2020 vintage (5*) is still very youthful. Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling and savoury, with concentrated, ripe stonefruit flavours, showing excellent vigour and complexity, fresh acidity, and a lingering finish. Best drinking 2024+.”

94/100 (Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review)
“Ripe, weighty chardonnay with citrus, grapefruit, sizzled butter, roasted chestnut, struck-flint and spicy oak flavours supported by racy acidity and a backbone of fine tannins. It will benefit from a little bottle age”

5 Stars, 94/100 (Sam Kim)
“Seductively generous and comforting, the wine shows golden peach, pineapple, French vanilla, cedar and brioche characters, followed by a richly textured palate that’s filled with ripe fruit intensity backed by creamy texture and refreshing acidity. Wonderfully rounded and satisfying. At its best: now to 2028.”

A big, rich wine like this needs big, richly flavoured dishes to go with it – try lamb, pork, duck and seafood with creamy sauces!