Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island has carved a deserved reputation for the quality of its Syrah and Bordeaux-blend wines. Another huge strength in the region is Chardonnay. Last year I reported on the Top 12 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnays from the 2019 vintage, as selected by Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas. In autumn 2022 I was lucky enough to be sent the 2020 selection, another fine vintage for the region.
My notes on the 12 wines are below. Sadly very few of these are available in UK retailers according to my research, but the line-up was really very impressive, consolidating my opinion that Hawke’s Bay is capable of being one of the world’s top Chardonnay regions.
The Wines
(2022) 59% of the blend is the Mendoza clone, grown on sandy silt soils. The juice was transferred to French barriques for fermentation, both wild and inoculated ferments. Full malolactic and ageing for 12 months with lees stirring, the final blend had 40% new oak. Toasty, nutty with a twist of peat-smoked whisky, the palate is powerfully concentrated, and though the oak of the nose is present, there's substance and flinty intensity to counter that, with powerful acid structure too. This is on the borderline of being too muscular and oaky for me, but I suspect a year or so in bottle will sort a lot of that out. No UK retailers listed at time of review.
(2022) Bilancia makes some marvellous Chardonnays, and this is the top of their range, from a single vineyard planted in 2001 with a number of different clones. Whole bunch pressed to French oak puncheons and barriques with fermentation by indigenous yeast, where it spent 11 months prior to bottling. A more subtle, and I have to say, elegant, nose than the Askerne, a buttery almond character, ripe peachy fruit. The palate is lovely too: there's a shimmering clarity to this, the keen lime edge to the fruit and acidity playing against toast and nutty richness, flinty precision extending the length of the finish.
(2022) From 20-year-old vines, whole bunch fruit was fermented and aged 11 months in French oak barriques, around 15% of which were new. Very, very reductive/flinty character on the nose here, that some will undoubtedly find over-powering. Is it overdone? Well, with vigorous agitation and time in the glass it just about abates enough. On the palate there's a real linear, almost lean character - it's not thin or insubstantial in any way, but that reductive, impenetrable character really does need time, air and patience. Right now, this is hard work in my personal opinion, and I can see that some would find it borderlne acceptable. Yet having tasted previous vintages, there's every chance it will blossom with 3- to 5 years in bottle. No UK retail stockists listed at time of review.
(2022) Fruit predominantly from Clearview's oldest vines was whole bunch pressed, partly to barrels, 46% of which were new, until April 2021. Quite a powerful oak character, with a ripe and nutty russet apple fruit beneath. Lovely sense of ripeness and generosity on the palate, fruit more juicy like nectarines, though a bit of flinty and smoky reduction adds an edge. Complex and textured, it's an intense and powerful wine, finishing with a burst of acidity that pushes out the finish. No UK retail stockists listed at time of review.
(2022) Hand-picked, whole bunch pressed, with natural ferment and 100% malo-lactic fermentation, this was aged in barrel for 8 months, all French oak and around one third new. Butterscotch and light toast on the nose over subtle flint and ripe pear and nutty apple. In the mouth this has lovely poise and a real sense of elegance. It has all the concentration and weight of leesy texture of any of the wines here, but retains a limpid sense of precision and creamy finesse as well as copious, juicy fruit ripeness. No UK retail stockists listed at time of review.
(2022) A selection of the best fruit from the Middle Road Chardonnay block was barrel fermented, with malolactic fermentation and around 33% of the French oak barrels were new. A lot of minty, elegant freshness here - more minty than toasty - with a certain precision to the citrus and pear fruit. In the mouth there's plenty of pithy lemon to give sharpness, in a wine that's much more about steely, flinty precision than opulence, but that's definitely not to say it lacks generosity or flesh.
(2022) Elephant Hill is in coastal Te Awanga, but that fruit is blended with a portion from the gravelly, warmer inland soils of the Bridge Pa Triangle, the wine spending one year in French oak, around one-third new. Softly and sweetly oaked on the nose, crushed oatmeal and almond over stone fruits. In the mouth the oak is a little more dominant at this stage, spices and toast, a touch of Jack Daniels character, but that should subside with a year or two in bottle, allowing the very pure, ripe peach and luscious pear to come through. Clean lemon-fresh acidity and a trace of saline in the finish. No UK retail stockist listed at time of review.
Helio, Chardonnay 2020
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, Cork, 13.6% abv(2022) A new name to me, and a very small production with no UK retail listing at time of review. Grown on gravel soils, vines have an average age of 25 years and the wine was fermented with indigenous yeast in mostly older French oak barrels, where is spent 10 months and went through malolactic. It's also one of few wines under natural cork, sealed with wax. Pale in colour and subtle in aroma, much less oak dominance here than many, a citrus and salts, arguably slightly neutral character, but very harmonious. In the mouth it's a lovely wine: the oak remains cool and subtle, the fresh but ripe apple and pear showing a little flint and salt, traces of a more luscious stone fruit, but a cool, intense and sophisticated finish.
(2022) Fruit here is all from the famous Gimblett Gravels, a mix of Chardonnay clones fermented in new 500-litre French oak puncheons. The wine completed malolactic and spent one year in barrel on lees. There's a lot of toasted grain notes on the nose here, but not aggressively so, a buttery underpinning and ripe fruit also in the mix. In the mouth the sweetness and intensity of the fruit is striking, but it is shot through with a limey core of acid giving real verve. There are some reductive flinty notes adding another honing edge, the oak is there but relatively subtle, and the finish is long and harmonious. No UK retail stockists listed at time of review.
(2022) A single vineyard, barrel-aged Chardonnay from alluvial soils, it spent one years in new and second fill French oak. A nice butterscotch and glacé oranges and lemons character here, rounded and sophisticated, the oak tempered and the picture pure and clear. In the mouth the story continues. There is a touch of coffee and toast, but intense and concentrated citrus and peach, slippery texture and buttery undertones all add up to a sleek and sophisticated wine of great style, finishing with a touch of salty minerality. No UK retail stockists listed at time of review.
(2022) From the highly experienced Tony Bish, this is fermented in three-year-old French oak barriques, around 30% new, and did go through full malolactic. A delightfully creamy, buttery Brazil nut nose of mellow oak, nutty tones to the fruit beneath too. On the palate there's an intensity that's immediate, but a certain savoury reserve too. Fruit is juicy, ripe apricot and peach, but the citrus core of acidity and nuances of flint and saline create an unwavering core through to the finish. Very nicely balanced. Price and stockist for previous vintage at time of review.
(2022) A single vineyard wine, planted in 1999 on gravels, with a mix of Chardonnay clones. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak barriques (40% new), 60% went through malolactic and the wine stayed in barrel for 11 months. Most attractive, with the oak on the mint and butterscotch, rather than toasty, spectrum. Buttery with succulent stone fruits. On the palate equally poised and sophisticated, such lovely clarity here, thanks to the knife-edge acid line, but also a crystalline sense of purity to the fruit, the oak again just adding a cashew and almond finesse rather than anything too aggressive.
Bilancia Tiratore Chardonnay will be available through The Wine Treasury 🙂
Good news Lorraine – will update my article.
Interesting names on the list, shows strength of region that Te Mata’s Elston didn’t make the cut
I think we have moved on from the ABC days 🙂
Indeed David, there are plenty of contenders that could have made the ‘top 12’ list on another day. The area really does have strength in depth for Chardonnay. And yes, many of us have moved swiftly on from Anything But Chardonnay, recognising that in the right winemaking hands it remains argualbly one of the world’s greatest wine grapes 🙂
Some very useful recco’s there then. Well done taking the trouble for the team Tom
Much appreciated Ray!