Sato La Ferme de Sato 'Le Chant du Vent' Chardonnay 2023

Yoshiaki Sato is a star in the making. He worked at Mount Edward wines, and started his first vintage of his own label in 2009. Yoshi’s early influences were the natural winemakers in France, and after working with Domaine Bizot in Vosne-Romanée and Domaine Pierre Frick in Alsace, he then moved to New Zealand and worked for a few years at Felton Road. Yoshi states Mike Weersing “has been a great inspiration and mentor” in his quest to make natural wine from the organic vineyards situated in Mt Pisa.

Yoshi refuses to use industrial yeast and bacteria and tries not to add any chemicals or additives during vinification and maturation in barrels.

He adds only 15ppm of SO2 at bottling, as he believes SO2 destroys natural microbial balance and breaks the original natural ferment flavour. With all of these factors in winemaking, he believes Sato Wines directly reflect the terroir of the vineyard expressing the original natural flavour of the grapes.

Our vineyard has a great view, which means it is very exposed against the strong wind or gust and the vines and ourselves are forced to live with it. When it is very windy in the vineyard, some winds go through the holes on the vineyard posts and create sounds like flutes making all through the vineyard. It is like the vineyard is singing “song of the wind = Le Chant du Vent."