Odyssey Gisborne Chardonnay 2025

Odyssey's Gisborne Chardonnay comes from the Golden Triangle region of Gisborne's East Cape, where winemaker Rebecca Salmond sources fruit for a food-friendly, partially oak-aged Chardonnay with approachable stone-fruit character.

Gisborne Golden Triangle | Single Vineyard | Food-Friendly

Tasting Notes

This brightly coloured wine has nuances of citrus, ripe peach and melon, with hints of butterscotch and oak. The lees contact and partial malolactic fermentation have added fullness and texture to this approachable and food-friendly wine.

A warmly styled Gisborne Chardonnay with stone-fruit and subtle oak, given extra roundness through lees contact and partial malo, very much at home alongside food.

Why you'll love it: Gisborne Chardonnay has a deserved reputation for generous, ripe fruit character, and Rebecca's light touch in the winery keeps it fresh and food-friendly rather than heavy. A great all-rounder for the dinner table.

Reviews

91 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (Nov 2025): "It's delightfully fruited with elegant complexity, showing summer peach, rockmelon, nougat, and roasted cashew aromas on the nose. The palate displays succulent fruit flavours with a creamy mouthfeel, well supported by fine acidity, making it harmonious and splendidly drinkable."

The Vineyard

Sourced from the Golden Triangle region of Gisborne, New Zealand's most easterly wine region, where warm days and cool nights produce reliably ripe, generous Chardonnay fruit. Rebecca uses judicious oak and lees contact to build texture without masking the natural fruit character.

About Odyssey Wines

Odyssey Wines is owned by Rebecca Salmond, who trained at Massey University in New Zealand and Adelaide University's Roseworthy College in Australia, graduating with a degree in Biotechnology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Winemaking Science. She then worked in some of the world's finest wine regions: Burgundy, Bordeaux and Cote Rotie in France; Alto Adige and Sicily in Italy; Marlborough and Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. Rebecca launched Odyssey in 1994 with small amounts of premium wines. Odyssey now owns 68 acres in Marlborough's Brancott Valley with 25 acres under vine, managed organically. All wines are single vineyard.

Perfect with roast chicken, pan-seared snapper with a cream sauce, or a soft cheese board. The stone-fruit warmth and gentle butterscotch character complement both seafood and poultry beautifully.

Browse more Chardonnay wines or New Zealand wines in our full collection, or call or text Laura on 021 591 500 for a personal recommendation.