A single vineyard Chardonnay from Kaikora vineyard in Ōtāne. Kaikora is the original name for the town of Ōtāne in Central Hawke’s Bay. The name was changed to avoid confusion with Kaikōura in the South Island.
Kaikora Chardonnay is a part of Bilancia’s project to highlight some of the most unique, small, single vineyards in Hawke’s Bay. Central Hawke’s Bay is known for the ancient Pakohe (argillite) forming the basis of the soil type. The vineyard is planted on these soils with clone UCD15 Chardonnay on its own roots. 2021 was yet another in a run of great Hawke’s Bay vintages. The fruit was 100% hand-picked, then whole bunch pressed to French oak barriques for fermentation. It was fermented with indigenous yeast and then spent 11 months in oak prior to bottling; there was no fining or cold stabilisation. Central Hawke’s Bay’s moderately cooler climate delivers fruit with a unique profile. Dark lemon in colour, slightly reductive struck-match notes, very mineral and citrussy with white peach, pink grapefruit and a touch of flint, full, ripe fruit, intense and concentrated, almost viscous, very long, finishing with hints of green pepper and nettles.