Brood Fermentation "Pollen" Chardonnay-Riesling 2023

"Pollen" is a wonderfully-named and very tasty 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Riesling that just works! Bright and crisp, like a Chablis -- it really is like having the best of both worlds in your glass. Tight phenolics and bright acidity, followed by wood and a textural, mineral backbone from the Chardonnay. More of a serious white, showcasing the salinity and mouth-watering acidity of the predominantly golden clay soils in Weka vineyard in Moutere, Nelson.

This wine was whole bunch direct-pressed and fermented in old french barriques. The fruit is organically grown without irrigation, and the wine is bottled without filtration or fining.

"Brood" is a beekeeping term for the part of a hive where life is regenerating. "Fermentation" is an incredible, natural process of chemical change. Putting the two words together already evokes a lot. Winemakers Lauren Yap and Jim Brown collectively worked across the beer, wine, hop and malt industries for 10+ years and have now landed in the rich fruit basket that is Nelson, New Zealand. They dry farm their own organic vineyard with biodynamic practices and make minimal intervention wine.