Villa Maria Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2018

Villa Maria Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2018White peach Toasted hazelnut Soft florals Flint "Intense, weighty chardonnay with grapefruit, peach, stone fruit, root ginger and roasted nut flavours. Rich and quite complex wine with an appealingly smooth texture. A classy chardonnay with potential" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Aug 2021 "Wonderful purity of fruit with incredible florals, mealy biscuit and hazelnut and with just a hint of struck match on the nose which follows through

• White peach
• Toasted hazelnut
• Soft florals
• Flint

"Intense, weighty chardonnay with grapefruit, peach, stone fruit, root ginger and roasted nut flavours. Rich and quite complex wine with an appealingly smooth texture. A classy chardonnay with potential" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Aug 2021

"Wonderful purity of fruit with incredible florals, mealy biscuit and hazelnut and with just a hint of struck match on the nose which follows through onto the palate. The concentrated complexity of the palate leads onto a long, creamy satisfying finish" Cuisine Magazine, 2020

In its youth, this concentrated wine is pale in the glass and displays aromas of white fleshed stone fruit, soft flowers, biscuit and hazelnut. Intricate barrel fermentation influences meld with flint characters and acidity on the palate, forming a refined marriage of style and length. Cellar this wine with confidence for up to 8 years from vintage.

This wine features a sensational collection of Chardonnay sites. The Lyons Vineyard is located in close proximity to Gimblett Road. Young, low yielding plants in alluvial silt loams add depth of flavour to the blend. Located on the easterly plateau of Maraekakaho, the fruit from the prestigious Keltern site is grown on mature vines in sandy loam over red stained metals. Hand harvested on different dates the various clones and sites provided an exciting array of blending options.

The 2018 Hawkes Bay vintage commenced after one of the region's warmest summers on the record before becoming wet and challenging in early March, with picking for most varieties ensuing promptly. The conditions experienced in the late summer were a catalyst for ensuring ripeness was achieved at harvest and selective hand picking of the cleanest fruit enabled Reserve targeted winemaking practices to be employed to full advantage.