Description

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.

The range of temperature and soil types, allied with the rainfall band between 650-850mm, create conditions to produce high quality wines of a classic range akin to those of coastal, central and northern France. Te Mata wines are similar in weight and balance but with unique lifted floral and fruit aromas.

Te Mata winery has been ranked ‘Top Winery in New Zealand’ evidenced by the consistent quality of the Coleraine and Awatea Cabernet Merlot wines, the Bull Nose Syrah and the Elston Chardonnay.

Produced since 1984, Elston is an outstanding New Zealand chardonnay, grown at Te Mata Estates oldest vineyards on the hillsides above the winery. The Havelock Hills Vineyards are renowned for producing wines with great balance, power and elegance. It is rich and complex with flavours of fresh pineapple, white peach and nougat.

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 between 15 and 27 February 2021.
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 fines 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.

Wow, fine chardonnay of finesse and class here!

96 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit “A gorgeously composed chardonnay with a great degree of elegance, showing nectarine, rockmelon, lemon peel, oatmeal and roasted hazelnut characters on the nose, followed by a superbly structured palate that’s laced with ripe fruit intensity and stylish oak infusion. Bright acidity provides balance and frame, while richly textured mouthfeel leads to a persistent sensual finish.”

96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review “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.”

94 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, green tobacco, a little gun smoke, nashi pear and nectarine. There’s some real lemonade flavour along with dried pear, a pleasing crunch and freshness to acidity, a friand and dried coconut richness, and a bright finish of excellent length. Very good Chardonnay. Ticks a lot of boxes, you might say.”

RRP $63 Our Price $49.99 – LAST OF THIS VINTAGE!

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