Te Mata Estate Elston Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2021

Te Mata Estate Elston Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2021French oak Golden peach Lemon & nougat Fine tannins "A gorgeously composed Chardonnay with a great degree of elegance, showing nectarine, rockmelon, lemon peel, oatmeal and roasted hazelnut characters on the nose, followed by a superbly structured palate thats laced with ripe fruit intensity and stylish oak infusion. Bright acidity provides balance and frame, while richly textured mouthfeel leads to a persistent sensual finish. At its best: now to

• French oak
• Golden peach
• Lemon & nougat
• Fine tannins

"A gorgeously composed Chardonnay with a great degree of elegance, showing nectarine, rockmelon, lemon peel, oatmeal and roasted hazelnut characters on the nose, followed by a superbly structured palate that’s laced with ripe fruit intensity and stylish oak infusion. Bright acidity provides balance and frame, while richly textured mouthfeel leads to a persistent sensual finish. At its best: now to 2035" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Feb 2023

Brilliant white gold in the glass, Elston Chardonnay ’21 has wonderfully intense aromas of golden peach, apricot, and lemon zest. Focused but flowing - this is a wine of precision, power, and poise. On the mouth-watering palate there’s oodles of ripe, white-fleshed fruit, nougat and nutmeg, integrated fine oak tannin, and just a flick of salinity. A long line of sweet citrus acidity, and ripe Hawke’s Bay chardonnay fruit, runs through here.

The superb quality of the 2021 vintage was immediately apparent in the fully ripe grapes that were hand-harvested from their separate, individual plots within Te Mata Estate’s vineyards between 15 and 27 February 2021.

Each parcel was gently whole-cluster pressed, cold settled and racked to new and seasoned French oak barrels for fermentation. The resulting wines remained in contact with their yeast lees, with a number going through malolactic fermentation. The finest lots were selected for further maturation, spending a total of 11 months in barrel.

Food Pairing: Resplendent in its charms, Elston Chardonnay ’21 would match with the best grilled lobster you can get. Or just sit and watch the wine unfold over several hours with a soft-ripened white cheese.