Elephant Hill Reserve Chardonnay

"Sophisticated bouquet with aromas of ripe yellow peach and brazil-nut, new wood aromas and red apple, citrus and dry stone mineral. On the palate - full-bodied, fruity, woody and, nutty with flavours that reflect the bouquet. Cashew and creamy, fine wood tannins, medium+(ish) acidity and lengthy varietally intense finish." Cameron Douglas

• Winery: Elephant Hill
• Varietal: Chardonnay
• Region: Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
• Vintage: 2018
• Alcohol: 13%
• Volume: 750ml
• Closure: Screwcap
• Other: Sustainable Winegrowing
• Food pairing: Chicken; veal & pork; shrimp, crab & lobster; potato & squash; cream & pesto sauces; mild & semi soft cheeses

"Bright, light lemon/green, it is full-bodied, with concentrated,  ripe stonefruit flavours, biscuity, mealy notes adding complexity, and a crisp, sustained finish.  A refined, tight-knit wine." Michael Cooper

THE PEOPLE

Proprietors Reydan and Roger Weiss first fell in love with the beauty of Te Awanga when visiting from Germany in 2001. Together they envisaged owning a state-of-the-art winery, merging the traditional values of winemaking with an innovative approach and contemporary style to produce exceptional wines to savour & and enjoy.

Andreas Weiss is the second generation of the Weiss family to be directly involved at Elephant Hill. After studying economics and engineering at the Technical University of Berlin a successful 20 year career in the banking industry followed with assignments in Germany, England and Brazil. In 2013 Andreas founded his own consulting firm, analysing and developing financial infrastructure set ups for municipalities in his home country of Germany. A change in direction then took place in September 2015 when Andreas was offered the fantastic opportunity to manage Elephant Hill which he gladly accepted. Andreas and wife Karina with their 5 children will set up home in Hawke's Bay. As CEO of Elephant Hill he has a passion and a commitment to quality while successfully running the business for future generations. 

LOCATION

Hawke's Bay is located on the eastern side of the North Island and is one of New Zealand's warmest regions. With high sunshine hours and low rain fall (780 mm year) Hawke’s Bay is perfectly suited to growing wine grapes and crafting premium wine. Their belief is that great wines are hand-made wines where meticulous attention to detail starts in the vineyard. This is why they hand-pick their grapes in order to be very selective in using the best possible fruit to make their wines.

VINEYARDS

Elephant Hill has three vineyards in the renowned sub-regions of Hawke’s Bay. The coastal Te Awanga Vineyard, the inland Gimblett Vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers District and The Triangle Vineyard in the Bridge Pa Triangle region.

SOIL AND CLIMATE

Elephant Hill vineyards have a variety of soil types and micro climates which give them the ability to capture the different elements and nuances of each particular site to make wines of complexity and character. Each grape variety has been carefully matched to the varying soil types, ranging from shingle to clay to very old, stony river beds producing a range of flavour profiles in the wines. This gives them extensive blending options or the opportunity to make terroir based, site specific, single vineyard wines.

WINEMAKING

Established in 2003, Elephant Hill is located within a stone’s throw of the Pacific Ocean on the idyllic Te Awanga coast of Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island.

The winemaking at Elephant Hill is driven by tradition while not losing sight of what innovation can bring to the blend. Their aim is to make wines that are balanced and elegant and a true expression of the vineyards they come from.

The technology associated with winemaking is always improving, as is the knowledge and understanding of the science of wine. Important as these factors are, to preserve the varietal integrity of the fruit from their vineyard is key. In the winery they ferment the grapes in many small, separate batches. This allows for the nuances and character of each separate fermentation to come to the fore and be considered when blending for their Estate, Reserve or Icon wines.

The perfect vintage is warm and dry throughout autumn; the climate so benign of threats that they can pick the fruit when it is truly flavour-ripe for the style of wine desired. The perfect vintage, of course, does not exist. In crafting wine one learns to deal with the weather nature hands you, and gradually to enjoy the variation from year to year. Great wine should reflect the site and the climate of where it is grown. One of the most rewarding challenges in making wine is to craft a wine that best represents the vintage in which it was grown, that plays to the strengths of the harvest and mitigates the challenges that were faced.

SUSTAINABILITY

Elephant Hill is passionate about caring for the land that has been entrusted to their care and they tread as lightly as possible on the earth. Water is one of their most precious resources and they have installed their own state-of-the-art biological water treatment system that allows them to recycle winery waste water back into valuable clean water. Wildflowers are planted in the vineyards and creek banks to contribute to the beauty of the property and attract beneficial insects for biodiversity. All Elephant Hill vineyards are 100% accredited by Sustainable Winegrowers of New Zealand (SWNZ).

• 5 Stars - Michael Cooper
  
• 95/100 Points - Wine Orbit
  
• 18.5+/20 Points - Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews
  
• 94/100 Points - Cameron Douglas MS
  
• 95/100 Points - Bob Campbell MW (2016 vintage)
  
• 95/100 Points - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit (2016 vintage)
  
• 93/100 Points - Cameron Douglas MS (2016 vintage)
  
• 97/100 Points - 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards - Best in Show (2015 vintage)
  
• Master - 2017 Drinks Business Asian Chardonnay Masters (2015 vintage)
  
• 19/20 Points - Raymond Chan Wine Reviews (2015 vintage)
  
• 95/100 Points - Sam Kim (2015 vintage)
  
• 94/100 Points - Bob Campbell MW (2015 vintage)
  
• 5 Stars - Michael Cooper (2015 vintage)