Elephant Hill Sea Chardonnay

Elephant Hill set the bar pretty high when it comes to quality. That might be something to do with their German owners, Roger and Reydan Weiss, that spare no expense in running this state of the art winery located on the stunning Te Awanga coastline. It boasts one of the best spots in Hawke’s Bay to enjoy a glass of first class wine and the view to match!

Oh we do love to be beside the seaside and especially when it’s with a glass of Elephant Hill Sea Chardonnay. Part of their ‘Limited Edition’ series this is from their Sea vineyard located right next to the…yep, the sea! It’s just a couple of hundred metres away from being able to pop on your togs and go for a refreshing dip in the Pacific Ocean.

And speaking of refreshing those coastal elements really shine through to help produce a refreshing, aromatic style of Chardonnay. This is a near perfect example of Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay from a cool coastal environment and a top 2020 Hawke’s Bay vintage. And it’s got the critic scores to back it up…

95/100 & Top Rank (Bob Campbell MW)
“Very Chablis-esque, From a coastal vineyard at Te Awanga. 12 months in barrel, six months in tank, all on light lees.”

5 Stars (Michael Cooper)
“This very classy wine was fermented and matured for a year in French oak casks (25 per cent new). Bright, light yellow/green, it is fragrant and full-bodied, with deep, vibrant, stonefruit flavours, mealy, complex, harmonious and long. Still unfolding, it is a stylish, very savoury wine, likely to be at its best from 2024 onwards.”

5 Stars, 95/100 (Sam Kim)
“Gorgeously styled and expressed, the wine shows apricot, rockmelon, nougat, savoury pastry and lemon peel aromas on the nose.”

Dollar for dollar this is actually a pretty outstanding Chardonnay buy! Just 575 cases of the stuff has been made and given it’s in their ‘Limited Edition’ series our recommendation would be to grab yourself a six pack, enjoy some now and cellar the rest until around 2027.