From what the label describes as “a very good to exceptional Hawke’s Bay vintage, especially for Chardonnay”. A mixture of clones and vineyard sources this year – clones 95, Mendoza, and 548 from the Omahu vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels; plus clone 548 from the Howell vineyard in the Bridge Pa sub-region; and Mendoza clone from the Two Terraces Vineyard in the Mangatahi sub-region.
A pale golden/lemon yellow in the glass. Fresh, inviting and complex aromas of white nectarine, grapefruit, lemon curd, hazelnut, popcorn, muesli and crushed shell. Framed with fine, toasty oak, the plush fruit sits front and centre, with citrus and stonefruit to the fore. Some mineral and savoury elements also jostle in, adding layers of herbs, flint, green olive and oyster shell. Seamless – when so many of our top wines are now single vineyard expressions – this is a masterclass in regional blending. 94pts
