2012 Bell Hill Chardonnay

From a cool vintage and a small crop, the 2012 Chardonnay is lean and tight, with plenty of life ahead of it. Scents of toasted brioche and buttered cashews are backed by mixed citrus flavors of oranges, limes and grapefruit. This saw 25% new French oak; recent vintages have seen that proportion trimmed to 15% to 20%.

(12.5% alcohol): Bright lemon-yellow color. Deep, musky aromas of yellow fruits, flint and sexy oak char. Broad, saline and plush, conveying a generous chewy texture to its savory yellow peach and mineral flavors. Boasts outstanding concentration and finishes suave and long, with terrific tactile minerality and palate-staining lift. Conveys a strong impression of saline dry extract and site specificity.

All their vineyards are multi-cloned and harvested, fermented and aged separately. This is a four-barrel blend from the Shelf, Limeworks (2009 and 1999 blocks) and the Roadblock. The fruit was crushed with stems retained and pressed in our basket press, keeping about 10% solids, followed by 12 months in French oak (25% new) and 8 months in tank. Ambient yeast and malo. No sulphur added until the wine comes out of barrel after 12 months. Unfined and only a coarse filtration. The wine was bottled on the 18th of December 2013 with a pH of 3.22, TA of 6.4 g/l. Approximately 1,134 bottles were produced. This is one of the most expensive Chardonnays in NZ, along with Clearview's Endeavour. Super inviting – just a suggestion of creamy oak and lightly smoky, struck match, all in moderation but all adding complexity. Even with that complexity there is pure citrus and dried herbs. On the palate, fabulous acidity, itense, cool and still elegant. Complex but still young and has terrific purity and length. Like ripe-fruited fine burgundy. (JH)