Bilancia ‘Kaikora’ Vineyard Chardonnay 2022

97 POINTS: Robert Parker’s – The Wine Advocate
96 POINTS: Gary Walsh - The Wine Front 
96 POINTS: Jamie Goode
5 STARS: Micheal Cooper

"The 2022 Kaikora Vineyard Chardonnay hails from Central Hawke's Bay, a cool area. This is a brand-new vineyard, planted in 2018, and 2021 was the first vintage. Just like the 2021 that I tasted a couple of months ago, this is a penetrating, harmonious wine. The acidity and the fruit flow as one across the tongue, shaped by very fine phenolics that feel soft and whippy through the finish. Superb wine, elegant, classy, poised. A joy. I love the levity. It's chalky and a little grippy. This may see slightly less malolactic fermentation than the other single-vineyard Chardonnays. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap."
— Robert Parker’s – The Wine Advocate

Bilancia Kaikora Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 is a remarkable single-vineyard expression from the original Kaikora site in Ōtāne, Central Hawke’s Bay. Crafted from fruit grown in a moderately cooler climate, this Chardonnay showcases the region's distinctive characteristics. The wine undergoes traditional winemaking techniques, including 100% whole bunch pressing directly into barriques, and is fermented using indigenous yeasts before being aged on lees for ten months.