Tony Bish Skeetfield Single Vineyard Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2024

Description

Oak, Pastry, Spice

"This wine is immensely complex and inviting, featuring aromas of ripe stone fruit, lemon zest, brioche, almond meal, and elegant oak. On the palate, it is concentrated and expansive, offering an outstanding balance of power, refinement, and grace. Bright acidity and a creamy texture beautifully frame the experience, culminating in a long, gratifying finish. At its best: now to 2036" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Oct 2025

"From the prized Skeetfield vineyard, old vines, dry-farmed Mendoza clone, 100% barrel-fermented. Elegant and detailed, invigorating acidity leads with precision, unveiling silky texture, layers, and a lasting linger" Candice Chow, Wine Chat

"Tasted over 4 days was a very smart move, this wine clearly needs time in your cellar, if you decide to open before the end of 2026 then decant it please. Ideal drinking window will be mid to late 2027 through 2030+. Aromas and flavours of white fleshed stone fruit and grapefruit peel laced with a fine positive reduction quality adding complexity and bite showing as a flinty almost gun-flint quality. Dry balanced and textured on the palate with acidity and mineral tones. A delicious wine with energy and complexity, it just that needs time and attention" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Nov 2025

Richly scented aromas of roasted peach, almonds, nougat, and toasted hazelnuts, with nuances of honeysuckle and wood smoke. The palate is very concentrated and richly layered with toasted hazelnut, nougat, cashew, savoury spice and mandarin peel along with subtle nuances of cooking spices. The palate has very supple richness and flow with mouth-watering citrus freshness and toasted nectarines on the finish. Will cellar 8-12 years.

The Skeetfield Vineyard has old vine dry-farmed Mendoza clone Chardonnay vines. The fruit was hand-picked and whole bunch pressed with minimal settling. This wine was 100% barrel fermented and matured, with 60% new Taransaud French oak, indigenous ferment and malo-lactic ferment have provided complexity and depth. Battonage on lees has yielded a superb textural quality. Minimal handling to bottling has preserved the purity and intensity of the wine. Skeetfield is a wine with exceptional power and grace, and will greatly reward the patient.

This legendary & heritage vineyard in Hawke’s Bay is named after Brick Gunn, champion NZ Skeet shooter. It is now farmed by his son Denis Gunn & young family. The vines are 35+ years old, so although low yielding they reward our patience and hard work each year.