Developing nicely into a lovely honeyed toast and brioche character, the 2006 Chardonnay has an exciting crushed stone/chalky undercurrent and a hint of orange peel. Still very youthful in the mouth with plenty of vibrant fruit, it is rich, concentrated and satiny in texture with a very long finish. Drink it now to 2016+.
First planted in 1997, as the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines continue to mature on this incredibly placed remote vineyard and winery positioned on an old limestone quarry, Bell Hill just gets more and more exciting. Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen have raised the bar high here, not just for New Zealand but for the world. Production is tiny and sadly even tinier in 2010 due to poor flowering. Only 1.5 barrels of the Chardonnay and 4 barrels of the Pinot Noir were produced in 2010 but the wines, in a word, rock. Anyone who truly wants to understand the potential of New Zealand’s greatest terroirs must find a bottle of Bell Hill.
Importer: Ronnie Sanders, Vine Street Imports, Philadelphia, PA; tel. (215) 533 9464; Terrell Wines, www.terrellwines.com
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