Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2024

Here’s a wine that takes advantage of the naturally warmer conditions in Hawke’s Bay after a hot and dry summer, which resulted in some of the best quality grapes for some time. The wine gets a little winemaking influence, including after fermentation ageing on full lees in French oak and then heading through malolactic fermentation before bottling. It’s a deeper colour with a golden hue immediately evident. The nose shows some obvious stone fruit but a lifted cutting edge of red apple and lemon meringue. It has a smooth, creamy, rich texture, and it’s the type of wine you find yourself gravitating to time after time. An impressive, generous full-flavoured Chardonnay likely to appeal to those who prefer a little bit of grunt in their white wines. Drink by: 2025-2030. Score – 93. (Ray Jordan, winepilot.com, July 2025)