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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2024 Low Burn Chardonnay, Pyramid Valley
2024 Low Burn Chardonnay, Pyramid Valley

2024 Low Burn Chardonnay, Pyramid Valley

Central Otago, New Zealand

Southern Spark

Vivid, layered and full of personality, Low Burn combines the indulgence of fine Chardonnay with Central Otago’s exhilarating freshness. Lemon curd and grilled pineapple mingle with white flowers, warm pastry and creamy mascarpone, while a delicate mānuka smoke character brings an intriguing savoury lift. Toasted pine nuts and subtle oak sit beneath the fruit, giving the bouquet depth without obscuring its bright citrus centre.

A creamy opening gives way to a rush of mouth-watering acidity, carrying flavours of lemon meringue, ripe citrus and a distinctive salty tang. There is lovely substance here, with a fine, gently gripping texture that gives the wine shape and keeps its richness beautifully controlled. The finish is long, lively and savoury, inviting another sip. A compelling bottle for lovers of Chardonnay with both generosity and precision, ready to enjoy now and capable of developing further complexity over the next few years.

For when: The seafood is the centrepiece and the wine needs to rise to the occasion.

Pairs with: Pair with grilled lobster with lemon butter, roast turbot with beurre blanc, crab and crème fraîche tart, chicken with morel cream sauce, scallop risotto, or roast cauliflower with toasted almonds.

Low Burn takes its name from the stream running through Pyramid Valley’s estate in Central Otago’s Lowburn sub-region. Sheltered within a valley, the Chardonnay parcels occupy a stony ancient river terrace. Their citrus intensity and floral character give this wine a distinctive identity within the producer’s Pastures Collection.

Whats in the bottle
100% Chardonnay

Notable Awards
95 points, James Suckling

£39.95 - £39.95
£39.95
£39.95 - £39.95
£39.95
Availability:
In stock

Pyramid Valley was founded in 2000 by Mike and Claudia Weersing, whose search for an exceptional vineyard site led them to Waikari in North Canterbury. Inspired by Burgundy, they planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on carefully chosen slopes and established biodynamic farming from the outset. Brian Sheth and Steve Smith MW acquired the estate in 2017, continuing its focus on distinctive wines with a strong connection to their vineyards.

The original Waikari estate is defined by its cool climate and limestone, clay and marl soils. The addition of Low Burn in Central Otago brought a contrasting landscape into the family, with sheltered slopes, ancient terraces and calcium-rich soils. Together, the two estates allow Pyramid Valley to explore different expressions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir across New Zealand’s South Island.

Winemaker and estate manager Huw Kinch has helped guide Pyramid Valley since 2018, working alongside viticulturist Nick Paulin. Organic and biodynamic cultivation are supported by regenerative practices that encourage soil health and biodiversity. Indigenous fermentation, gentle handling and patient maturation carry that philosophy into the cellar, building wines of texture, freshness and individuality.

Made from 100% Chardonnay grown at Pyramid Valley’s Low Burn estate, combining Mendoza, Dijon 548, Dijon 95 and Monte clones. The fruit was harvested and sorted by hand.

Whole bunches were crushed and gently pressed, with the juice transferred directly into French oak barrels without settling. New oak accounted for 27%. Fermentation used ambient yeasts and was followed by full malolactic conversion.

The wine remained on its lees without added sulphur for 12 months, then was blended and sulphured in April 2025. A second winter on fine lees in small horizontal stainless steel tanks allowed natural settling. After approximately 17 months in the cellar, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered in September 2025 under screwcap.

Alcohol: 14%. Recommended drinking window: 2026–2030.