Te Mata Estate, Elston Chardonnay Hawke's Bay 2020

93 points Wine Enthusiast
"A strong vintage for Te Mata and the Hawke's Bay region in general, this release of Elston strikes a fine balance between fruit ripeness, freshness and oak. Lemon and pineapple aromas are vibrant above seashell and creamy oak nuances. The palate shows lovely slippery texture, crystalline acidity and concentrated fruit. It's supported, not dominated, by the wood. A persistent citrus finish makes it easy to take another sip. A classy wine that's drinking gracefully now but should gain complexity until around 2028."

91 points Vinous
"The 2020 Elston is a round and textural Chardonnay. Hand-harvested, whole-bunch-pressed and made with only free-run juice; the result is a delicate, seamless style. Eleven months on lees has contributed to a silky midpalate. There's a light woody oak note in the background, but it allows the ripe peach fruit to shine. The ripe acid on the finish makes your mouth water, and yet this is a satisfying and mellow expression. Note that this is the first Elston under screwcap."

Vinous Reverie Notes
Produced since 1984, Elston Chardonnay is grown at Te Mata Estate’s oldest vineyards on the hillsides above the winery. Elston is named for Elston Hall in Nottinghamshire, the ancestral home of Charles Darwin’s family. Darwin’s ‘theory of natural selection’ forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory, the foundation of biology. The wyvern symbol of Elston Hall appears on the label. Tasting Notes: Brilliant white gold in the glass and has wonderfully intense aromas of golden peach, apricot, and lemon zest. Focused but flowing, this is a wine of precision, power, and poise. On the mouth-watering palate there’s oodles of ripe, white-fleshed fruit, nougat and nutmeg, integrated fine oak tannin, and just a flick of salinity. A long line of sweet citrus acidity and ripe Hawke’s Bay chardonnay fruit run through here.