My trip down to Hawke’s Bay to have a look at the 2026 harvest was well-timed. Tony Bish went on record to say that “Vintage 2026 is already breaking records. This will be the earliest harvest in my 45 years — and very probably in the history of winemaking in Hawke’s Bay.
We’ve enjoyed the warmest spring in 135 years, along with record-high Growing Degree Days — a measure of the growing season’s accumulated heat. Blessed with such a brilliant, sunny summer, it’s little wonder we’re harvesting our first grapes earlier than ever.
The fruit is exceptionally clean, flavoursome, and pristine, so Oscar and I are ecstatic to get started and bank some sensational juice for our concrete eggs and barrels. My son Sam is also home this vintage, and instead of jumping out of perfectly good aeroplanes, he’s jumping into harvest with us again — making it a true family affair.”
As I was welcomed in to the Urban Winery in Ahuriri by Maxime Cavey, she went out the back and grabbed Oscar Bish… but told me that Tony was “In and out with deliveries of grapes”. This was my first meeting with Oscar – but his Dad has, on previous catch-ups, said how delighted he was to have him onboard with the family label. As it was, Tony arrived pretty soon after, and we had the chance to chat – over the current releases – about how this year was looking, and the current state of things.
During this visit to the region I will also be calling in to Kokako Farms in the Ohiti Valley, and dropping in to see Linda and Ian Quinn out at Two terraces. Both vineyards are suppliers to Tony Bish range of Chardonnays. They also take fruit from Skeetfield. Here are people who are committed to either growing or producing the very best Chardonnay that they can, and helping to put that varietal from Hawke’s Bay on to the world stage. And make no mistake – this is world-class wine.
The 2024 Fat & Sassy Chardonnay is back to Hawke’s Bay fruit. This is a delicious full-bodied expression, with ripe fruit put straight upfront. Peachy and textural, it flows through the palate to a crisp finish. It’s a belter of a wine and keeps the wheels turning for the Bish family enterprise. 2024 Golden Egg Chardonnay is a selection from six of their concrete eggs – sitting around the $40 mark. It is a whole lot of Chardonnay for that price. It has an uncanny knack of seeming quite tight and elegant on first approach, only to unfurl a plush richness midway through – the palate dripping with ripe fruit.
There is now another offering that is new to me – 2024 Egg No.3 Chardonnay. Tony explains: “We filled 6 concrete egg fermenters with whole-bunch pressed Chardonnay juice from Two Terraces. From the outset, one vessel shone above the rest”.
This is essentially a single vineyard – and single clone – wine from the Two Terraces Vineyard in the Mangatahi sub-region. Mendoza clone Chardonnay has a distinctive intensity and fruit tannin that runs through this glass. Savoury, pithy, steely and driven but also very generous. Wow.
2024 Heartwood Chardonnay is the latest vintage of a wine that’s considered a classic these days – a measure of where top-quality NZ Chardonnay is at. A rich, full-throttle expression, with more oak showing underneath – but, hey, this standard of fruit just sponges that up and it is just one element amongst the many that vibrate through this wine. Each of Tony’s wines have a different voice, tempo and tune – but the songs are all quite memorable.
Fruit from the Quinn’s vineyard is showcased again in the 2024 Two Terraces Chardonnay. At the showcase for this vineyard in Auckland last year, Tony mentioned that the fruit grown has “aromas of fresh cut culinary herbs” and I do get tarragon and fennel bulb on the nose. Quite taut and linear right now – this is set up for the long-haul, with tremendous ageing potential. Fine, focussed and with fruit in a clear citrus spectrum.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the next wine, and 2024 Skeetfield Chardonnay does not disappoint. Tony describes the vineyard as “a national treasure” and this wine is perhaps another that deserves time in bottle, well-cellared, to show its best. Weight and depth meet lush golden fruit, with baking spice, honeycomb and hazelnut in supporting roles. Tony loves his Taransaud French oak – he waxes lyrically about how this generations-old company is developing new technologies and processes to back up their artisan skills. This wine is a great example of how good Chardonnay loves good oak – such complexity and range.
The other wine I tasted today was 2024 Zen Chardonnay, but there are others – either not in bottle, or just not ready to release yet. This edition of Zen is a single vineyard wine from Kokako Farms made entirely from Clone 15. Very structural and well-composed. It moves from a perfume that is spicy, floral and exotic, to a well-structured finesse in the palate. Don’t get me wrong – this is also mouth-filling and textural, but there is an extra edge of energy and Chablis-like minerality threaded through the middle that sets it apart. A very fine expression of contemporary NZ Chardonnay.
I came to see Tony in the Urban Winery five years ago. Back in 2021, Tony told me the story about how he finally took the plunge for his own label – “The trip to South America with Rod and other winemakers was pivotal in that I think it was on my mind then. I’d said that ‘one day I’ll do my own label’ and one of the other guys – could have been Rod or Warren – said “Put up or Shut up Bish, you’ve been talking about it too much”.
Sitting here today, and to now see this range and taste through what is on offer – I’m pleased. This looks, feels – and tastes, like success.
