Elston Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay — 2021
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Introduction
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Produced since 1984, Elston Chardonnay is grown at Te Mata Estate’s oldest vineyards on the hillsides above the winery. Elston is named for Elston Hall in Nottinghamshire, the ancestral home of Charles Darwin’s family. Darwin’s ‘theory of natural selection’ forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory, the foundation of biology. The wyvern symbol of Elston Hall appears on the label.
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Vineyard Profile
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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 Havelock Hills vineyards between February 15-27, 2021.
- Appellation: Hawke's Bay
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Vinification
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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.
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Technical Information
- Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
- Alcohol: 14%
- TA: 7.7 g/L
- p H: 3.12
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Tasting Notes
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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 run through here.
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Images
Reviews
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Elston Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay — 2021 – Wine Advocate – 93 Points
"The acidity here is juicy and very bright; the orchard fruit in the mouth is silky and plush; and the Malo component contributes a real sweet marzipan, almond skin, crushed nut, vanilla character. Very pretty. Elegant. There is detail, spice and verve here."
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Elston Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay — 2021 – James Suckling – 93 Points
"Expressive nose of white grapefruit, white pears, sea shells, nutmeg, cloves and dried lemons. It's medium- to full-bodied with a creamy and layered texture. Vibrant. Lovely sweet fruit and integrated subtle spice notes."
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Elston Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay — 2021 – Vinous – 92 Points
“This is a rich, full style with pure fruit and a ripe line of citrussy acidity that carries the wine home to a firm, powerful ending. There's peach flavors and fresh apricot alongside grilled nuts and nougat derived from barrel fermentation and maturation. It's a little oaky in youth if I'm nitpicking but time will lend a hand.”