Description
Bell Hill’s Chardonnay continues to set the bar for New Zealand’s cool-climate expressions, offering a stunning interplay between power, precision and place. The 2020 release is a meticulous seven-barrel blend from the Shelf, Roadblock, and Limeworks parcels - some of the most treasured sites in the Waipara Valley.
Whole cluster pressed and matured in 32% new French oak for 12 months, the wine was then settled in tank for an additional nine months before bottling in January 2022. As always, the élevage here is about enhancing detail and purity rather than overt oak expression.
The 2020 is tense and mineral-driven, with ripe, intense florals, sea spray, and stone fruits layered over a sweet-fruited core. As it breathes, it gains tension and focus, offering a nervy, saline palate underpinned by lemon meringue and white blossom notes. Textural yet refined, it carries a dry, energetic finish that is both mouthwatering and beautifully persistent.
With only 2,089 bottles and 106 magnums produced, this is a bellwether New Zealand Chardonnay with outstanding ageing potential.
97 points
"Dried apple and honey with some straw and lemon curd character. Flint and matchstick. Medium body with phenolics and apple skin texture. Dried apples and peaches at the finish. Salted butter. Some nutty undertones. Yogurt, too. Tangy and rich at the same time. Rich yet energetically driven. Very youthful and exciting. Complex. Better with three or four years of bottle age. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling
97 points
"A restrained but precise nose which flits from white peach and stone to orchid, soaked in smoky-sweet, spicy oak. The palate is incredibly intense with waves of concentrated lemon and oyster-shell crashing over the spicy oak and hints of salted caramel. Very powerful and driven, most of the flavour currently resides on the back-palate and unfolds on the incredibly long finish. Super-serious with a confounding juxtaposition between immensity and linearity, this is just a baby right now and will only come into its own with careful cellaring. The structure and density here suggests a very long life ahead."
- Stephen Wong (The Real Review)
| Price Bracket | $101 and Above |
| Type | White |
| Body | Full Bodied |
| Variety | Chardonnay |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | North Canterbury |
| Feature |
Iconic Women in Wine Cult High Score |
| Reviewed By |
James Suckling The Real Review |
| Critic Score |
97 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Closure | Screw Cap |
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