Tony Bish Skeetfield Chardonnay 2022

Drink it now or cellar for up to 15 years. No need to decant, but best to open it half an hour before service. Known in the wine world as the King of New Zealand Chardonnay, Tony Bish is an acclaimed winemaker and specialist in this varietal who founded his winery in 2014 in Hawke's Bay, a wine region on the North Island. Here, the soils and maritime climate with wide temperature ranges create ideal conditions for producing quality Chardonnays. The Tony Bish Skeetfield Chardonnay is made with grapes of the Mendoza clone from old, dry-farmed vines at the Skeetfield vineyard on Dartmoor, Hawke's Bay. After manual harvesting, whole-cluster pressing, and spontaneous fermentation, the finished wine ages in barriques (60% new). The result is a powerful and elegant wine with a complex and fragrant aromatic profile revealing notes of red apple and nectarine, followed by hints of lemon blossom and chamomile, and mineral touches on a toasted background. On the palate, it is lively, fresh, and concentrated, with a light savory edge and a dynamic, lean character. It is juicy and balanced, thirst-quenching and round, with a distinctive and well-defined acidity. The finish is long and recalls toasted notes. It is a wine capable of cellaring for several years and developing elegantly, but can also be enjoyed now with salmon or tuna, lobster, or roast poultry.