Hawke’s Bay Wine releases inaugural single vintage Chardonnay collection
Hawke's Bay Wine has released its inaugural single vintage Chardonnay collection.
The collection includes a carefully selected set of twelve 2019 Chardonnays from around the region.
Hawke’s Bay winemakers were invited to submit Chardonnays from the 2019 vintage for consideration and Cameron Douglas, MS conducted a blind tasting.
Douglas said he was to be involved and found the selection enjoyable yet challenging due to the high calibre of entrants.
“2019 is indeed a great vintage for Chardonnay from Hawke’s Bay. The theme for the tasting revealed itself after the first flight – texture, intensity, tautness, a great line of acidity, and a core of fruit. The potential for ageing many of the wines was apparent," he said.
The Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Association said the collection represents an assortment of the region's Chardonnay, "highlighting the quality and diversity of this noble grape that loves our Hawke’s Bay terroir, expressed by our talented winemakers in the region".
The objective is to increase awareness of the "outstanding and consistent" quality of Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay, and its core role in telling the New Zealand Wine excellence story.
It will be presented to key opinion leaders throughout New Zealand and the world over the coming weeks.
2020 was the perfect year to launch this initiative with vintage 2019 conditions playing right into our Chardonnay producers’ hands.
Winemaker Hugh Crichton said 2019 produced some of their greatest wines to date - adding to what will be remembered as one of the greatest Hawke’s Bay vintages of all time.
"The wines will provide years, and in some cases decades of enjoyment and drinking pleasure and it is expected they will receive high critical acclaim. This will help to forge Hawke’s Bay’s place in the world of fine wine."
Crichton said a standout for him in the 2019 vintage was how pristine the fruit was due to the ideal growing season.
"Fruit condition was perfect. If you got the picking decision right, had good viticulture practice and yield control then there is no reason why you wouldn’t have had the perfect material to work with.
"For me, good Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay is about richness, concentration but within a lovely framework of freshness from good natural acidity, and of course a little complexity," he said.
The inaugural collection includes:
Askerne Estate – The Archer Chardonnay 2019
Bilancia – Tiratore Chardonnay 2019
Church Road – Tom Chardonnay 2019
Clearview Estate – Reserve Chardonnay 2019
Collaboration Wines – Aurulent Chardonnay 2019
Coopers Creek – Select Vineyards ‘Limeworks” Chardonnay 2019
Elephant Hill – Salomé Chardonnay 2019
Monowai Estate – Upper Reaches Chardonnay 2019
Pask – Declaration Chardonnay 2019
Sacred Hill – Riflemans Chardonnay 2019
Tony Bish Wines – Heartwood Chardonnay 2019
Villa Maria – Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay 2019
