A re-visit to a wine I first reviewed on here back in 2021. It’s a Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay – made in their ‘Ovum’ egg-shaped, 2000 litre vessel of Taransaud french oak in the Urban Winery in Napier. The fruit comes from the famed Skeetfield vineyard. This was just the second vintage of the wine.
A very pale green-gold colour in the glass. The perfume starts with a touch of flinty minerality, before the ripe fruit aromas of grapefruit, pear, mandarin and white peach come through with a touch of roast cashew nut and baking spice. The palate is still tight and structured – the eight years in bottle haven’t left much of a mark in terms of evolution. The texture that is so important in this wine, is generous, creamy and delightfully integrated in the heart of the palate, yet the overall focus and linearity of it remains clear and precise. No rush to drink, it should keep well for another 5 years. 95pts
