Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021

Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021"Gorgeously elegant and complex, the wine shows apricot, rockmelon, vanillin oak and brioche characters on the nose, followed by a wonderfully weighted palate displaying excellent structure and persistency. It's refined and beautifully layered with textured mouthfeel, finishing impressively long and satisfying. At its best: now to 2033" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2023 "Captivating aromas of roasted and fresh peaches, baked grapefruit and custard

"Gorgeously elegant and complex, the wine shows apricot, rockmelon, vanillin oak and brioche characters on the nose, followed by a wonderfully weighted palate displaying excellent structure and persistency. It's refined and beautifully layered with textured mouthfeel, finishing impressively long and satisfying. At its best: now to 2033" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2023

"Captivating aromas of roasted and fresh peaches, baked grapefruit and custard qualities, toasty barrel spices and smoke. Delicious on the palate with weight and textures in harmony embellished by yellow stone fruits and citrus flavours that mirror the bouquet. Balanced lengthy finish, ideal drinking on its own and well suited to food. Best drinking from 2023 through 2029" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, May 2023

"Harmonious wine that achieves an enviable balance between alcohol sweetness, sour acidity and subtle tannic bitterness. The net effect makes the wine come alive. Vibrant chardonnay with high energy" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Apr 2023

In youth, this concentrated wine is pale in the glass and displays aromas of ripe stone fruit, citrus flowers, and grilled nuts. Natural barrel fermentation influences have created flinty complexity and the finish is driven by a generous palate and succulent acidity. Cellar this wine with confidence for up to 5-8 years from vintage.

The grapes for this were grown on the Kokako Farms vineyard in Ohiti Valley (36%), the Te Awa Vineyard (35%) and the Keltern vineyard (29%) located on the Heretaunga plains.

The 2021 vintage was highly regarded with a warm and dry summer that kicked off with the earliest Hawkes Bay Chardonnay harvest ever and allowed fruit to be picked at optimum ripeness without any disease pressure. This wine features a sensational collection of Hawkes Bay sites which are fastidiously managed to produce Reserve quality Chardonnay.

Hand harvested on different dates the various clones and sites provided an exciting array of blending options. Gentle whole bunch pressing allows for the finest quality of juice to be run directly into French oak barriques for natural fermentation. Once complete the individual parcels matured on yeast lees with regular battonage for up to 14 months. The finest barriques were then identified and blended and the wine was aged for an additional 6 months on full lees in stainless steel tank before preparation for bottling.