It's been around the block once or twice...

Glowing a brilliant lemon-gold in the glass, Elston Chardonay ’22 overflows with ripe citrus, fresh brioche, and grilled hazelnuts. On the palate an impressive intensity of ripe nectarine and grilled lemon builds upon soft creamy nougat notes, adding a vibrant acidity, balance and focus. With exceptional length, freshness, purity, and a complex interplay of fruit and savoury notes, Elston Chardonnay ’22 is expressive and moreish – a remarkable embodiment of its terroir that exemplifies the quintessential qualities of this classic Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay.

The superb quality of the 2022 vintage was immediately apparent in the fully ripe grapes that were hand-harvested from their separate, individual plots within Te Mata Estate’s vineyards between 20 February and 10 March 2022.

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."

"Rich, power-packed, creamy-textured chardonnay with lemon curd, oyster shell, sizzled butter, and yellow-fleshed peach. Accessible, deliciously textural wine with an appealing thread of vibrant acidity." 93/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, March 2024 (2022 Vintage)

"One of New Zealand's most illustrious Chardonnays, Elston is a stylish, intense, slowly evolving wine. At around four years old, it is notably complete, showing concentration and finesse. The grapes are hand-harvested from mature vines grown in hillside vineyards above the winery at Havelock North, and the wine is fully fermented and matured for nearly a year in French oak barriques (partly new). Bright, light yellow/green, the 2022 vintage is highly fragrant, mouthfilling and savoury. Still youthful, it is a refined, vigorous wine, with deep, vibrant, stonefruit flavours, gently seasoned with toasty oak, and a rich, finely poised finish. Best drinking 2026+." 5 Stars Michael Cooper, February 2024 (2022 Vintage)