Region: Waikari, North Canterbury, New Zealand
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2023
The Wine
Biodynamic. Lion’s Tooth takes its name from the sea of dandelions that punctuate this steep, east-facing vineyard. Planted in 2000 at a density of 11,111 vines per hectare, this 0.4-hectare block (supplemented by young vines added between 2018–2020) sits on limestone and clay with a generous 30 % clay content — a composition that contributes both breadth and tension to the finished wine. Yields in 2023 were heartbreakingly low (just 12.5 hl/ha), the result of a severe spring snowstorm that halved the potential crop across Waikari. Yet from this adversity emerged something thrillingly pure.
The nose is charged with flint, toasted hazelnut, mandarin peel and orange blossom. On the palate, there’s a sense of precision and electricity — a shimmering interplay of saline minerality, citrus and stone fruit, framed by gentle phenolic texture and a long, chalk-lined finish. The fruit is vivid but never showy; the oak perfectly measured. Only 126 six-packs were made, cementing Lion’s Tooth 2023 as one of the rarest and most crystalline expressions of New Zealand Chardonnay.
Cellared Says
Intensity and grace in perfect alignment. This Chardonnay hums with quiet energy — flinty, saline and sculpted — a rare wine that turns scarcity into art. Drink 2026–2038+. Only a handful of bottles allocated.
Wine Reviews
“Focused, young and tightly wound, with a clarity of cool-climate fruit. There’s tenderness here — a hallmark of chalky soils — yet it remains bone-dry with savoury forcefulness. Citrus, apple and a distinct salinity shine with subtle oak-derived hazelnut. A wine of subtle power and great potential.” — Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous 94 pts
Region: Waikari, North Canterbury, New Zealand
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2023
The Wine
Biodynamic. Lion’s Tooth takes its name from the sea of dandelions that punctuate this steep, east-facing vineyard. Planted in 2000 at a density of 11,111 vines per hectare, this 0.4-hectare block (supplemented by young vines added between 2018–2020) sits on limestone and clay with a generous 30 % clay content — a composition that contributes both breadth and tension to the finished wine. Yields in 2023 were heartbreakingly low (just 12.5 hl/ha), the result of a severe spring snowstorm that halved the potential crop across Waikari. Yet from this adversity emerged something thrillingly pure.
The nose is charged with flint, toasted hazelnut, mandarin peel and orange blossom. On the palate, there’s a sense of precision and electricity — a shimmering interplay of saline minerality, citrus and stone fruit, framed by gentle phenolic texture and a long, chalk-lined finish. The fruit is vivid but never showy; the oak perfectly measured. Only 126 six-packs were made, cementing Lion’s Tooth 2023 as one of the rarest and most crystalline expressions of New Zealand Chardonnay.
Cellared Says
Intensity and grace in perfect alignment. This Chardonnay hums with quiet energy — flinty, saline and sculpted — a rare wine that turns scarcity into art. Drink 2026–2038+. Only a handful of bottles allocated.
Wine Reviews
“Focused, young and tightly wound, with a clarity of cool-climate fruit. There’s tenderness here — a hallmark of chalky soils — yet it remains bone-dry with savoury forcefulness. Citrus, apple and a distinct salinity shine with subtle oak-derived hazelnut. A wine of subtle power and great potential.” — Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous 94 pts
