2024 Bilancia Chardonnay
2024 Bilancia Chardonnay

2024 Bilancia Chardonnay

92 pts
Bilancia |Hawkes Bay |Chardonnay
A classy New Zealand Chardonnay from the hot bed of Hawke's Bay.
4.0
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
1 Review
Price:
$45.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Description

While the steep slopes of the La Collina vineyard are famous for producing benchmark Syrah, the Chardonnay grown there is a bit of an insider secret. This wine takes a solid chunk of fruit from that prestigious site, blends it with the nearby Trelinnoe vineyard, and adds a splash from the cool-climate Kaikora site in Central Hawke's Bay to keep things fresh. It is effectively a "greatest hits" compilation of the Bilancia holdings.

Lorraine Leheny and Warren Gibson keep the winemaking honest and straightforward. Everything is hand-picked and pressed whole-bunch, sending the juice into a mix of new and old French oak where it rests for about 11 months. They don't fine it or cold stabilize it, preferring to keep the texture and character intact rather than polishing it too much.

You don't see much Chardonnay at this price with genuine power and weight. A dense core of stonefruit and citrus, but it never feels heavy. There is a lovely tension here that keeps the richness in check. For the quality of fruit involved, this is a bit of a bargain.

James Suckling

James Suckling

James Suckling 92 Points

Very pretty sliced apples, ripe pears and some lychees on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a delicious finish. Drink now and enjoy. Screw cap.

Erin Larkin

Erin Larkin

The Wine Advocate 91 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay is pure and fine, with white peach melba, pineapple husk, layers of white pepper and green apple. This is silky and clean, with a creamy nuttiness on the mid-palate that provides textural complexity and width. It's chalky and very good. This wine features grapes from the single vineyards that don't make it into those final wines, with more textural pressings and skin contact, giving texture. No new oak was used, and there was only partial malolactic fermentation. This was bottled unfined. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Customer Reviews

4.0
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 1 review
Total 5 star reviews: 0 Total 4 star reviews: 1 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
1 review
  • WC Profile picture for Werner C.
    Werner C.
    Verified Buyer
    1 year ago
    Reviewing
    2021 Bilancia Chardonnay
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Great balance

    Super fresh and citrusy but also with great presence - its strong varietal character made it ideal for lunch on a warm day with dad

    Was this helpful?

Bilancia Chardonnay was sourced from three Hawke’s Bay vineyards; two at Roys Hill; la collina and Trelinnoe, and a small component from Central Hawke’s Bay, Kaikora, at Ōtāne. The Chardonnay fruit was all hand picked, with each vineyard kept separate as ferments. The fruit was whole-bunch pressed with some of the juice run straight to barrels from the press and some to tank for gentle settling. The juice was fermented in new and older French oak. The wine spent 11 months in oak prior to blending and bottling; there was no fining or cold settling. The aim is to produce a wine that speaks of Chardonnay. It is a youthful wine, evenly structured with emphasis on a fresh, food-friendly style and balanced palate. Stonefruit and citrus on the nose and palate with texture, character, freshness and a line of acidity through the palate. This wine is ready to drink on release and will continue to develop and fill out for 4 – 6 years.

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country New Zealand
Region Hawkes Bay
Feature Women in Wine
Reviewed By The Wine Advocate
James Suckling
Critic Score 92
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Screw Cap

Others also liked

Recently viewed

Common Questions

Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more.

For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.

We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.

Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.

No sorry we do not have a store front and pickup is not available.

Yes, no problem. When placing your order select ‘Store at Different Drop and Delivery Later’ as your shipping method or reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order with additional instructions.

We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.

To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you. 

If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.

 

Our warehouse is automated so unless you tell us otherwise, we will ship your order. If you would like us to hold your order please reply to the order confirmation email after placing your order and we are happy to store your order for up to 6 months at no charge. You can review our heat policy here.

Yes, of course. We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. You can see our price match policy here.

No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.

No, all prices are set at the full discounted dozen rate already.

If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.

Need a hand?

We’d love to help you out! Most questions can be sorted quickly through our Help Centre or by dropping us a line on chat or email. If it’s something urgent or you just really want to have a yarn about wine, food, or even the meaning of life, give us a call — we’re here for you.

Regular Enquiries

hello@differentdrop.com

Urgent Enquiries

02 8376 8775