2023 Te Mata Elston Chardonnay

97 POINTS

James Suckling

Wow. The aromas are breathtaking with lemon rind, lemon tree, hints of sandalwood, minerals and crushed stones. The palate shows a stunning interplay of sliced apples, green mangoes, lemongrass, honeysuckle, white cedar and intense lemons. Some flint and wet stones at the end and a briny aftertaste. 100% barrel-fermented. Aged 11 months in barrel.

96 POINTS

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

This is complex and enticing on the nose, showing ripe peach, lemon peel, roasted hazelnut, and savoury pastry characters with a subtle vanilla overtone. The palate displays terrific poise and tension, wonderfully complemented by creamy texture and bright acidity, making it splendidly structured and balanced with a sustained, graceful finish.

94 POINTS

Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

This is released now. Less of it made than is usual. Bright fruit, citrus and white nectarine, almond, fine spiced oak, a bit of bread dough. Juicy, white fruit and citrus, a bit of flint, a burst of flavour, some saline characters, a slight fresh pineapple thing, with a lively gently savoury/toasted hazelnut finish of excellent length. It’s a brighter, tighter, more restrained iteration of Elston, and I like that about it.  It certainly has some get-up-and-go.

94 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2023 Elston Chardonnay has been made since 1984, this being its 29th vintage. The nose leads with a profusion of white pineapple and green apple, roasted hazelnut/cashew and white flowers. There is an abundance of toasty oak, but it's not the main player onstage, which is great. It supports the fruit, and in the mouth, the purity and power of the fruit really emerges. There is really structural grip and shape to the wine, and the acidity is juicy and feels woven into every aspect. It is impressive, flavorsome and almost achingly intense, with great length through the finish. Recommended. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Handpicked and whole-bunch pressed, the 2023 vintage was about only 40% of its usual volume. It was barrel fermented with indigenous malolactic fermentation, in this case about 85%, with the focus being purity of acidity and fresh fruit aromatically. Matured for 11 months in French oak, the wine had some bâtonnage prior to sulfuring, which is right after malolactic fermentation.

94 POINTS

Emma Jenkins MW - Decanter

Always a very supple and seamless wine. There’s plenty of peach, lemon, guava, crème brûlée and cashew to enjoy, plus hints of bran biscuit and a flick of flint on the nose. The silky palate has a very nicely judged line of acidity that draws a thread right through the wine, adding tautness to the ripe fruit and emphasising the long finish.