$295.00
– Sold Out| /
Region: North Canterbury
Grapes: Chardonnay
First Glance: Vibrant, Mineral, Tense, Powerful
Acclaim: 98pts
The Wine:
The Bell Hill Chardonnay is a blend of the Shelf, Roadblock and Limeworks parcels. All the fruit was crushed before pressing, followed by 12 months in French oak (predominantly 1- to 3-year-old wood), 7 months in tank and then bottled on the 28th of October 2020 with a pH of 3.48, TA of 6.2 g/L, and alcohol of 13%. 2,000 bottles were produced.
First impression of bright yellow fruits and lifted white floral fruit expression with underlying wet stone nuances, with time the wine aromatics become more restrained and give way to mineral and flinty notes. On the palate there is a tactile profile which salinates and savourises the wine, it has good flow, gaining acid focus and tension. It is salivating and mineral with elegance and length and a tension build-up on the finish. With time the palate becomes more textured and layered, showing whiter stone fruit characters and a touch of lemon meringue richness, lovely linear flow, and more restraint than on first opening.
The Review:
Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review - 98pts
"Intense, vibrant chardonnay with pronounced saline/oyster shell character giving a nod in the direction of Burgundy. A backbone of fine, taut acidity adds energy and suggests cellaring potential. Powerful, beautifully structured wine that is threaded with mouth-watering tension."
