WINERY Established in 1896, Te Mata Estate remains family owned, producing internationally recognized wines exclusively from its Hawke’s Bay vineyards, located on New Zealand’s North Island. Te Mata Estate is home to New Zealand’s oldest vineyards and wine cellars with 125 years of continuous wine production.

WINE Sourced exclusively from Te Mata Estate’s own vineyards. The estate wines represent the best qualities of their variety, vintage, and Hawke’s Bay origin.

The grapes for the 2022 Estate Chardonnay were harvested between February 22nd and March 20th, 2023 from Te Mata Estate’s own vineyards in the Woodthorpe Terraces, Bridge Pa Triangle and Havelock Hills sub-regions of Hawke’s Bay.

The 2023 vintage was unprecedented for Te Mata Estate, marked by record-breaking extremes: the longest growing season, the smallest berry size, the second hottest and wettest year, and the most expensive vintage. Despite these challenges, including a historic cyclone in mid-February, the estate achieved remarkable results. Unsurprisingly, the most difficult wines were from the earliest ripening varieties and Chardonnay yields were impacted, with volume down 50% toe achieve quality. The vintage’s success was attributed to meticulous vineyard management and favorable late harvest weather, transforming a challenging season into a triumph of exceptional wine quality.

The 2023 Estate Chardonnay combines the best of traditional and modern winemaking. This involved tank fermentation to preserve the vibrant varietal aromas and clear, fresh fruit expression along with some barrel fermentation, barrel maturation on gross lees, and malolactic fermentation to enhance the complexity, richness and integration.

Crystal-pale gold highlights, the 2023 Estate Chardonnay immediately presents the aroma of white nectarines and white peaches, alongside notes of lychee, ripe citrus, creamy nougat and delicate spice. The ripe and dry mid-palate is full and rich, with just a touch of ripe pear and ‘marmalade on toast’. The 2023 Estate Chardonnay is a display of balance between weight and detail.