Behind the Wines | Chardonnays with Kevin Courtney

Our new wine tasting series, Behind the Wines, where winemakers, producers, and distributors tell the stories behind their wines while savoring the flavors created by the tales. Enhance your understanding of what goes on in making wines and further your local and international wine knowledge. A great event for the novice to the wino!

Kevin Courtney from the boutique wine producer Riverby Estate, will present a 10-year vertical Chardonnay tasting on Wednesday, July 3rd at 6:30pm.

The Riverby Chardonnay block was planted in 1989, making it one of the oldest in Marlborough. It is almost all Mendoza clones and still has its own roots. We will be looking at 10 years of Riverby Chardonnays, from 2014 up to 2023. Included will be the only three Reserve Chardonnays Riverby has ever made - 2020, 2022 and 2023. The two 2023 wines will be a sneak preview as they won’t be released until later in the year.

The Riverby Chardonnay style is very much the traditional clean, creamy style with generous amounts of high quality oak.

Riverby Estate is a boutique wine producer, occupying a prime site in Marlborough's Jacksons Road heartland. All grapes are grown on the estate vineyard by descendants of the Matthews family, who have been farming the property for over 100 years. The Matthews farm was called Riverby and the original homestead, depicted on the Sauvignon Blanc back label, is still in use.

This is the first time these 12 wines will ever have been assessed together, so it is certainly a unique opportunity that you will not want to miss!