Roving Sommelier is passionate about premium quality New Zealand regional wines. Neudorf – a family owned winery, first planted in the late 1970s by Tim and Judy Finn is located in the clay-rich soils of the Moutere Valley, Nelson at the tip of New Zealand’s South Island.

Neudorf first came onto my wine radar back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when I met Judy Finn for the first time at a New Zealand wine tasting in London. They quickly became one of my favourite New Zealand boutique vineyards and I have been following them with interest (and purchasing their wines) ever since. What’s more, Neudorf wines, especially their iconic Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and excellent aromatics such as Riesling and Pinot Gris will always feature near the top of my New Zealand wine bucket list. I have tasted wines with Judy Finn on many occasions and was fortunate enough to visit the vineyard twice – 2003 and 2009.

Great wines have a basis of fruit concentration, length and sense of place – characters which can be formed only in the vineyard. And due to Neudorf’s excellent position within the Moutere Valley, they have all the necessary components and unique terroir to produce truly world-class wines.

Neudorf Chardonnay is largely proscribed by the terroir and the high extract / high acid Mendoza clone. The texture and complexity of lees contact helps to balance this taut package.

Rosie’s Block (which is named after their daughter Rosie Finn) – BioGro Organic 5438 – was purchased in 1999 from the Beuke family, also descendants of the original German settlers and overlooks the Home Vineyard. Rosie’s Block is a beautiful vineyard, mainly planted to Chardonnay in 1999, all organically grown and added to later.

The 2018 Neudorf “Rosie’s Block” Chardonnay is an elegant, complex masterpiece, very much fruit-driven with lovely mineral notes and rich texture. The wine has undergone a natural malo-lactic fermentation in the spring and has been partially barrel-fermented (15% new oak) to give the palate some texture and weight without compromising on the wine’s natural fruity elegance.

Its excellent structure will reward further cellaring for at least five years from vintage. Best enjoyed chilled and in a convivial atmosphere.

Neudorf is also a member of New Zealand Family of Twelve.