Villa Maria Single Vineyard McDiarmid Hill Gisborne Chardonnay 2024

Description

Nougat, Oak, Peach

"A lovely wine with a bouquet of California peach and grapefruit peel, baking spices of vanilla and cinnamon stick, apple and clay earth minerality. On the palate a taut, dry wine with a big impact from fruit and youthful, phenolics and citrus fruit flavours. On the second and third sips the wine shows it persistency of flavours and textures needing time to develop and relax over the next 1-3 years. Best drinking from 2027 through 2030" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

McDiarmid Hill is Villa Maria's jewel in the crown Gisborne vineyard, beautifully positioned on an elevated north facing hillside slope in Patutahi.

Capturing the qualities of a spectacular vineyard, McDiarmid Hill offers ripe tropical fruit aromas, fig and smoky grilled nut notes. The palate is lavishly textured, leading to a long finish extended by fine acidity. This bold, concentrated wine retains a balance that will appeal for immediate enjoyment but will also benefit from maturation, developing intriguing complexity over the next 5-8 years.

The 2024 McDiarmid Hill harvest was highly regarded and followed a hot, dry summer that persisted long after the last grapes were picked. Having benefited from cooler evening temperatures in the lead up to harvest which intensified flavour and acidity, harvest of these naturally low yielding vines commenced earlier than normal with beautifully clean and ripe fruit, paving the way for our Winemakers to capture a sensational vintage.

Taking full advantage of sunlight, drying wind conditions, slightly cooler temperatures and natural water drainage, the additional elevation provides a wonderful advantage for producing this consistently outstanding wine. Small parcels of mature dry farmed Mendoza vines provide for blending options, ideal for building complexity in the final wine.