Villa Maria Reserve Chardonnay Hawkes Bay – 2016

The Hawkes Bay region on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island is sunnier and warmer than Marlborough and most famous for its tropical-fruited Chardonnays as well as Bordeaux-style reds. This is similar in some ways to Margaret River in West Australia, although here the wines are cooler and have fresher acidity and lighter body.

In

its

youth,

this

concentrated

wine

is

pale

in

the

glass

and

displays

aromas

of

white-fleshed

stone

fruit,

flowers,

biscuit

and

hazelnut.

Intricate

barrel

fermentation

influences

meld

with

stone

fruit

and

acidity

on

the

palate,

forming

a

refined

marriage

of

style

and

length.