Sato Le Chant du Vent Chardonnay 2023 is a distinctive, low-intervention Central Otago Chardonnay from Yoshiaki and Kyoko Sato, shaped by the schist-laced Pisa growing area beneath Mt Pisa. True to the Satos’ quietly radical style, it favours saline minerality, savoury detail and tensile acidity over obvious oak sweetness—textural, energetic, and very much “new wave” while still serious and ageworthy.

Appearance:
Bright pale straw to light gold; fine bead-like clarity with a subtle natural glow.

Aroma:
Dried apple, sliced pear and green apple lift first, followed by yuzu-like citrus, sweet herbs and oyster shell, with flinty, seashell mineral tones and a faint dried-floral, lightly oxidative nuance.

Taste:
Dry, taut and mineral-driven. Saline, savoury complexity runs through green apple and citrus peel into a more intense, stony mid-palate; there’s a gentle edge of green olive and dried florals, kept precise by lively, “crystalline” acidity and restrained, measured oak influence.

Finish:
Long, salty and chalky, with subtle sweet-nut notes surfacing at the close and a clean, mouthwatering pull back to the glass.

Food Pairing:
Natural oysters, grilled fish with brown butter and lemon, roast chicken with herbs, seared scallops, miso-forward dishes, or a hard sheep’s milk cheese.