Te Mata Elstone Chardonnay 2021

Established in 1896, Te Mata Estate remains family owned, producing internationally recognized wines exclusively from its Hawke's Bay vineyards. The Estate's ownership varied frequently until John and Wendy Buck acquired it in 1978. John and Wendy instigated a twenty-year development program, which commenced with the restoration of the original winery building and the replanting of all of the original vineyards, as well as the acquisition of new vineyard sites.

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.

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 vineyards. 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.

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, runs through here. Resplendent in its charms, Elston Chardonnay ’21 would match with the best grilled lobster you can get. Or just sit and watch the wine unfold over several hours with a soft-ripened white cheese. 

Light, bright yellow hue with a complex bouquet of sneaky hints of buttered toast, roasted hazelnuts and underlying citrus fruits, lemon and grapefruit. Creamy lees and shortbread-like malo characters. There is excellent intensity of flavour powered along by great acidity that really drives the wine and prevents it being heavy. Concentration and drive in spadefuls. A generous, mouth-filling chardonnay with great amplitude and incredible length. Very satisfying to sip. No hurry to drink it—and time will bring increased complexity. - Huon Hooke, The Real Review, 96 Points

The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Chardonnay
Country - New Zealand
Region - Hawke's Bay
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14%