When the small parcel of clone 95 Chardonnay from the wild, cool climate coast of Blind River was offered to us in 2022 by the Turners, for the 2023 vintage, we instantly went into Blank Canvas mode. This site is one of the coolest, coastal sites in all of Marlborough and making it in a Reed style was not going to work (and had failed before). The combination of climate, soil and clone begged the question, was this really the perfect New Zealand site to create a genuine Chablis-style Chardonnay? 

“Emulating Chablis is not about harvesting early… that just gives you a lean, mean Chardonnay. It’s about finding the right site that is capable of giving the balance that is so important in Chablis. This gives you the ripeness and richness, as well as the elevated focused acidity that make this wine style what it is.”

And so, we commenced the journey, setting about sourcing a very large French oak cuve that would be an integral part of this wine. We found an exceptional French cooper of large format barrels, and settled on a natural 25hL round oak cuve. A serious investment and purchased sight unseen, we were now committed. When the cuve arrived early 2023, it was like Christmas all over again, the workmanship worthy of Chippendale. Matt poked his head in the door, taking an enormous inhalation. "It smells like Raveneau!" From there, the growing audience of winery crew all took turns to enjoy in the sensation, everyone agreeing it was a chamber full of the most delightful aroma of lightly toasted hazelnuts.

Every evening before and after this moment was spent talking about how we would make this wine, and knowing even before we had harvested it that it was going to be something special, we realised it need to carry a name that was equally significant. 

We thought about our recently passed friend, Tano, and it just all clicked. 

A visionary, a leader, a mentor and a dear friend, Gaetano ‘Tano’ Tobin was instrumental in establishing and championing the crus of Soave, describing these wines as the Chablis of Italy. 

Matt had worked with Tano for over twenty years in this prestigious white wine appellation of Italy, in Matt's capacity as consultant for Liberty Wine productions, and Tano as head of one of the most important wineries in the area, Cantina di Monteforte d'Alpone. Tano and his wife Franca flew out to New Zealand for our wedding, and not even speaking a word of English, they are still recalled fondly and in detail by our Kiwi friends (who don't speak a word of Italian) ten years later, such was Tano's presence in a room. Tano sadly passed away, unexpectedly and too early, in 2021 leaving a huge hole in our lives. 

Tano’s larger-than-life character, equally commanding stature and a special friendship formed over the pursuit of fine wine have left a lasting impression that we without hesitation decided should be memorialized in this new single vineyard Chardonnay.

We have honoured Tano's life and vision by crafting a wine that embraces his inspirations; ones that we also share.

In 2023, our bespoke 25-hectolitre botti (Italian for large barrels), christened 'Tano 1', fermented and matured the small parcel of Anandale Farm Clone 95 Chardonnay hand-harvested from that wild, cool climate coast of Blind River in Marlborough. Wild, full solids fermentation took place over many months, maturing on lees for a total of 15 months. We gently racked and bottle it without filtration at the end of June this year. 

The 400-odd cases produced have been very carefully allocated among a few markets, with a small parcel reserved for our cellar door and for a handful of New Zealand restaurants and wine bars. It won't be retailed anywhere else. We’re confident that this is going to be highly collectable and judiciously allocated, with initial comments from one international wine professional who previewed it exclaiming, "it's like I'm in Montee de Tonnerre!" 

This combination of subregion, microclimate and winemaking delivers a vivid and pristine cool climate Chardonnay of profound complexity, and we know it's going to shift the dial once more showcasing the stylistic capabilities of our region. We believe in it so much, that we've invested in another Tano cuve this year, with a third due to arrive in the new year. This will allow us to hold the Tano Chardonnay for longer on lees in the cuves, so we're very excited about what's to come.

We know Tano would be proud.