Mills Reef Elspeth Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2024

Mills Reef Elspeth Hawke's Bay Chardonnay is a rich, stunningly textured Chardonnay from Hawke's Bay, brimming with ripe peach, red apple and zesty grapefruit, alongside delicate orange blossom and a lovely touch of toasty French oak. The palate is generous and creamy, with layers of baked stone fruit, vanilla, butterscotch and roasted cashew complemented by a refreshing citrus edge. Barrel fermentation and extended lees ageing bring wonderful depth and complexity, while balanced acidity keeps everything lively through a long, satisfying finish. Crafted from a single vineyard, this is Mills Reef's flagship Chardonnay, offering plenty of richness without sacrificing elegance. A fantastic match for slow-cooked pork, roast chicken, buttery seafood or a creamy mushroom risotto.

What the winery says:

Handpicked from the acclaimed Riverview Vineyard in Hawke's Bay's Maraekakaho district, the grapes were harvested between 9 and 18 March following a warm, settled growing season. The juice was barrel fermented in 100% French oak hogsheads using selected Chardonnay yeasts, with 35% malolactic fermentation adding a beautifully integrated buttery texture. The wine then spent ten months maturing in French oak, including 35% new barrels, with regular lees stirring to develop richness and complexity. Bottled in April 2025, the finished wine offers orange blossom, roasted nuts and stone fruit, with layers of vanilla, butterscotch, baked peach and cashew on a long, elegant finish.

What the experts say:

Cameron Douglas MS, 93/100 (2024 Vintage)
“Bold, rich bouquet with lots of expression of fruit then winemaking. Aromas of sweet ripe peach and red apple, there’s a grapefruit suggestion the wood through aromas of sweetness and spice, smoke and stone. Equally bold and rich in character on the palate, full-bodied with a baked peach and apple custard idea, some toasty butterscotch flavour then citrus peel and vanilla. Warm and generous with warming alcohol and youthful smooth and tense texture. Well made with plenty of length and style. Best drinking from 2026 through 2033.”