Te Rere is a tiny, family-owned vineyard tucked into Church Bay on Waiheke Island, and this Reserve Chardonnay is one of just two wines they make. Expect stone fruit and red apple with fresh fig, framed by barrel character and a savoury, stony note from the site itself. It's full-bodied and built with real concentration, from a producer who makes barely 1,500 bottles of it a year.
Waiheke is known for its reds, so a Chardonnay this serious from the island is worth noticing on its own. Te Rere farms four small coastal sites totalling 2.4 hectares, hand-pruned and hand-picked, and treats the Chardonnay with the same care as the Syrah it's better known for.
This is a wine for someone who wants real concentration and a genuine sense of place rather than a straightforward, everyday Chardonnay. Te Rere makes a maximum of 8,000 bottles across its whole range in a year, and the Chardonnay is the smaller of its two wines at around 1,500 of those - a real allocation limit, not a marketing line.
What it tastes like
Fresh and ripe stone fruit leads, with red apple and fresh fig alongside it. Barrel character and a savoury, stony note from the site run underneath, giving the wine real complexity rather than just fruit. It's full-bodied and pure, with fine structure and good length, showing both power and a fair amount of subtlety for a wine this concentrated.
This isn't a lean, mineral-driven style of Chardonnay. It's built on ripeness and weight, with the barrel and site character adding shape around that core of fruit.
Style at a glance
- Body: Full
- Sweetness: Dry
- Acidity: Fresh, balancing the wine's weight
- Oak: French oak, part of Te Rere's standard 12 months' barrel ageing
- Style: Concentrated, site-driven, barrel-influenced Waiheke Chardonnay
Food
This wants something with a bit of richness to match it: pan-seared scallops in brown butter, roast chicken with lemon and thyme, a creamy seafood chowder, or grilled snapper with a beurre blanc. Pork belly with apple works well too, and it's worth trying against a soft, washed-rind cheese if you want something unexpected.
Who makes it
Te Rere is a small, family-owned vineyard in a sheltered valley at Church Bay on Waiheke Island, farming four coastal sites across 2.4 hectares. The Chardonnay block faces north-west with a slight breeze off the water, planted on free-draining soil left over from the estate's original construction. Winemaker Michael Wood trained in Blenheim before working at Domaine Courbis in France's Northern Rhône and Weingut Heitlinger in Germany, then spent time at Passage Rock Wines and Obsidian Wines on Waiheke before joining Te Rere. He was named New Zealand Winemaker of the Year at the 2017 NZ Aromatic Wine Show. Viticulturist Matt Sloan, who holds a postgraduate diploma in viticulture and oenology from Lincoln University, manages the vineyard alongside him. Between them they keep yields deliberately low and let the wine develop with minimal intervention in the winery, ageing every wine in French oak for around 12 months and holding it back for at least 2 more years before release.
When to drink it
Cameron Douglas MS, reviewing the 2022 in 2026, put its drinking window at 2026 to 2030. It's showing well now and has a few years of development still ahead of it.
Technical details
| Winery |
Te Rere |
| Wine |
Reserve Chardonnay |
| Vintage |
2022 |
| Variety |
Chardonnay |
| Vineyard |
Estate vineyard, Church Bay, Waiheke Island (north-west facing block) |
| Region |
Waiheke Island |
| Country |
New Zealand |
| Oak |
French oak, approximately 12 months |
| Cellaring |
2026 to 2030 |
| Serving temperature |
Best served around 10-12°C |
Where to buy
For international delivery to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, the Te Rere Reserve Chardonnay 2022 is available via our winenz.com website. For delivery in New Zealand you can purchase from thewineryonline.co.nz. If you are visiting New Zealand, you can also buy it at our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine. Te Rere makes only around 1,500 bottles of this wine a year, so once a vintage sells through, it doesn't come back.
Questions we are often asked
What does Te Rere Reserve Chardonnay taste like?
Fresh and ripe stone fruit, red apple and fresh fig, with barrel character and a savoury, stony note from the vineyard site. It's a full-bodied, dry Waiheke Island Chardonnay with real concentration and good length.
How rare is Te Rere Reserve Chardonnay?
Genuinely limited. Te Rere makes a maximum of 8,000 bottles across its whole range each year, with the Reserve Chardonnay making up around 1,500 of those.
How long will Te Rere Reserve Chardonnay 2022 keep?
Cameron Douglas MS put its drinking window at 2026 to 2030 in his 2026 review. It's drinking well now with a few years of development still to come.
What food goes with Te Rere Reserve Chardonnay?
Something with a bit of richness: pan-seared scallops in brown butter, roast chicken with lemon and thyme, seafood chowder, or grilled snapper with beurre blanc. Pork belly with apple works well too.
Where is Te Rere Reserve Chardonnay made?
At Te Rere's own estate in Church Bay on Waiheke Island, from a north-west facing block on the property, and aged around 12 months in French oak.
Where can I buy Te Rere Reserve Chardonnay 2022?
The Winery ships Te Rere Reserve Chardonnay 2022 internationally from winenz.com to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, and delivers within New Zealand from thewineryonline.co.nz. It is also available in our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores.
