Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2022 x 6

Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2022 x 6HAWKE'S BAY Chardonnay Reserve 2022 95 points Wine Orbit, Sam Kim 94 points CamDouglasMS. com, Cameron Douglas MS 93 points The Real Review, Bob Campbell MW Winemakers Comments: In youth, this concentrated wine is pale in the glass and displays aromas of ripe stone fruit, citrus flowers, and grilled nuts. Natural barrel fermentation influences have created flinty complexity and the finish is driven by a generous palate and succulent acidity. Cellar

HAWKE'S BAY
 Chardonnay Reserve 2022
 
 95 points - Wine Orbit, Sam Kim
 94 points - CamDouglasMS.com, Cameron Douglas MS
 93 points - The Real Review, Bob Campbell MW
 Winemakers Comments:
 In youth, this concentrated wine is pale in the glass and displays aromas of 
ripe stone fruit, citrus flowers, and grilled nuts. Natural barrel fermentation 
influences have created flinty complexity and the finish is driven by a generous 
palate and succulent acidity. Cellar this wine with confidence for up to 5-8 
years from vintage.
 Vintage:
 The 2021 vintage was highly regarded with a warm and dry summer that 
kicked off with the earliest Hawkes Bay Chardonnay harvest ever and allowed 
fruit to be picked at optimum ripeness without any disease pressure. This wine 
features a sensational collection of Hawkes Bay sites which are fastidiously 
managed to produce Reserve quality Chardonnay.
 YIELD: 2.75-3.85 hl/ha
 SOILS: Free draining gravel and silt loam
 VINES: Mendoza (60%), Cl15 (28%) and 548 (12%)
 The grapes for this were grown on the Kokako Farms vineyard in Ohiti Valley 
(36%), the Te Awa Vineyard (35%) and the Keltern vineyard (29%) located on 
the Heretaunga plains.
 Hand harvested on different dates the various clones and sites provided an 
exciting array of blending options. Gentle whole bunch pressing allows for the 
finest quality of juice to be run directly into French oak barriques for natural 
fermentation. Once complete the individual parcels matured on yeast lees 
with regular battonage for up to 14 months. The finest barriques were then 
identified and blended and the wine was aged for an additional 6 months on 
full lees in stainless steel tank before preparation for bottling.
 Technical Details:
 VARIETIES: 100% Chardonnay
 ALCOHOL: 14.5%
 PH: 3.25
 TOTAL ACIDITY: 6.7g/l
 RESIDUAL SUGAR: 1.7g/l
 FERMENTATION: Natural
 BARREL TYPE: French Oak (40% new)
 MATURATION: 14 months in barrel, 6 months in tank.
 BOTTLED: December 22nd, 2022