“Butter cream, baked lemons, hazelnuts and mangoes on the nose. Touch of anise, too. It’s layered, creamy and buttery. Full-bodied with lemony freshness, as well as a subtle spicy edge on the long and sleek finish.”

The 2022 Keltern Chardonnay is tropical and with a creamy texture in the mouth, with yellow peach and sweet apricot fruit. This has salty acidity and attractive drive across the mouth. The cooler 2022 season has imbued the wine with energy and texture. I like this wine very much today.

“This premium Chardonnay, from a well-known Kiwi brand, is a creamy, rich wine with aromas of peach, lemon custard, ginger cookie and toast. The palate is almost surprisingly fresh, with the acidity adding welcome freshness to the oaky, lactic intensity. It drives fruit flavors through to a long finish.” – (Cellar Selection)

The 2022 Chardonnay Keltern is Villa Maria's flagship from Hawke's Bay. The clarity and finesse of the juice shows delicate handling. Its laser-bright acidity, which is somewhat more elevated than normal due to earlier picking, creates a linearity on the finish. This perhaps does not have as much flavor richness as in previous years. But there are still those typical characteristics of nectarine, toasted nuts, smoky bacon and pastry that indicate oh-so-good barrel-fermented Chardonnay. It fades a little quicker than we've come to expect from Keltern. Still, I wouldn't argue if you served this to me.