increase font size
Hugh Crichton.
Vidal Legacy Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2012, has received the International Chardonnay Trophy in the over £15 (NZ$34) category at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2015.
A panel of 240 wine experts, judged more than 16,000 wines at the awards, held in London.
The tasting note for the International Trophy winner, describes the wine as a "Distinctly modern New Zealand Chardonnay, full of gun smoke, grapefruit skin, toast, vanilla and sizzling butter aromas. White nectarine and peach flavours greet you on the palate which is broad, rich and creamy, yet manages to retain a distinct elegance, with lovely length and a pleasingly dry finish."
This is the fourth accolade the wine has won so far, having picked up three trophies in other competitions.
"Ultimately these awards are an affirmation to the world that Hawkes Bay makes fantastic Chardonnay," says Vidal winemaker Hugh Crichton.
"The Vidal Legacy Chardonnay, is made in limited quantities from our greatest Chardonnay vineyards. The region's climate and our vineyards bring elements of freshness to the wine, so it's not too big and heavy, but has concentration of flavour and depth of complexity. These are all qualities which great wines should have, but not all parts of the world can deliver," he says.
The Vidal Legacy Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2012, available in selected restaurants and fine wine retail stores, has also achieved the following awards:
Following 2023's inaugural Aotearoa New Zealand Chardonnay Symposium, Hawke's Bay Winegrowers expanded this year's event to two days of discussions and tastings centred on 'Sense of Place', the environmental and cultural landscapes that shape wine.
From commercial salmon fisherman, camel trainer and philosophy academic, to wine writer, illustrator and sought-after speaker, is one of the less common career trajectories.
"At the top end, New Zealand Chardonnay has never been better."
From struck match aromas to "vexing" green characters, and from expert palates to crowded marketplaces, the science, viticulture, crafting, and consumer impressions of New Zealand Chardonnay is under the spotlight.
Wine writer Christina Pickard is one of the speakers at the inaugural Aotearoa New Zealand Chardonnay Symposium in Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke's Bay in October.
A system that combines UV-C light for disinfection could provide chemical free treatment of plant pathogens and diseases such as…
Huntress, Novum, and The Marlborist embody an evolution of small producers in New Zealand.
Ben Leen never tires of the view at Amisfield, where audacious guinea fowl strut the grounds against a backdrop of…
