The Keltern vineyard has long been one of New Zealand’s premier sites for top flight Chardonnay, with the wine having gained an impressive track record of awards through the years as part of Villa Maria’s Single Vineyard Collection. The 2021 release sees the wine move over to the Icon Range, with the gold script on a black label, alongside the Ngakirikiri Cabernet Sauvignon, now firmly in place as one of the flagship wines – only the very best examples of their varieties and terroirs, as well as testaments to the knowledge gained over decades of experience working these same sites.
 
A blind tasting held in 2022 amongst wine experts saw Keltern Chardonnay voted as the winner, ahead of Burgundy legends Coche Dury, Leflaive and Raveneau, and on tasting the 2021, it is easy to see why. It is very Burgundian in style, with a little reduction, showing waxy lemon and orchard fruit, flint and seashell, a little nutty, with considerable Meursault-like concentration on the palate and a long, saline finish. It is unctuous and juicy, and hides its 14.5 % alcohol very well. I wouldnt suggest you leave this in the cellar for more than a decade, but equally, it is so delicious already that i highly doubt you will!
 
Located east of Maraekakaho in Hawkes Bay, the Keltern vineyard sits on an ancient riverbed directly in the path of cool air currents flowing down from a mountain range that flanks it to the west. The maritime influence is buffered by the Ngaruroro River, making this a distinct, inland site, with silt loams layered over red metals and large gravel stones that promote draining. Richer soils and cooler temperatures justified the plot’s suitability for Chardonnay, unlike Hawke’s Bay’s nearby and better-known Gimblett Gravels sub-region, famous for its red wines.
 
2021 was, according to Villa Maria’s head Winemaker Patrick Materman, an “outstanding season where we experienced naturally low yields, dry conditions with no disease pressure, and just above average temperatures. Though an early season, we could achieve optimal ripeness and picking decisions were based entirely on flavour development and sugar and acid balance, rather than driven by weather events.’ The healthy fruit, bursting with deep transparent flavours, retained an ideal level of acidity thanks to cool temperatures, therefore providing pure varietal expressiveness. Hand-harvested from a 10-year old plot within the larger Keltern vineyard, the fruit arrived in pristine conditions to the cellar, enabling minimal winemaking intervention and ultimately allowing Keltern’s unique characteristics to shine. It is a vintage which reaffirms Keltern’s position amongst the Icon wines and it remains fantastic value for the quality in the bottle.