Vidal Hawkes Bay Chardonnay

With a passion to pursue winemaking in his adopted country, Spaniard Anthony Vidal founded Vidal in Hawkes Bay in 1905. Vidal’s passion for wine is undimmed over a century later.

Vidal sources the majority of its fruit from vineyards in Hawkes Bay, many located in the premium Gimblett Gravels sub-region.

Some fruit is also sourced from Marlborough. A dedicated viticultural team is employed to manage the vineyards and to provide a complete advisory service to the growers. The ability to select the right sites and develop and manage these vineyards to specific wine styles and quality goals is key to Vidal.

Vidal is dedicated to environmentally friendly winemaking and sustainable winegrowing practices. This mindset allows Vidal to contribute to New Zealand’s “clean, green” image and increase quality assurance from vineyard through to the finished wine.

Vidal produce wines in a classical way, but without the old-world prescription and control through appellation systems.

They have the ability to search for small changes that can improve quality whether that be in the vineyard or winery, ultimately, with the aim for the wines to reflect the vineyards and the growing season. Vidal try to achieve transparency in the wines, and are not looking to hide where the wine is from with too much oak, too much tannin or in fact too much of anything. When the wine is dominated by one thing you lose the rest of the detail – this is summed up by the term of balance – they aim for balance in all respects.

The overriding wine style is one of elegance. Vidal look for underlying complexity, fine structure, good natural acidity and not least concentration of flavour, but not in a big, over powering way. The wines tend to be better food wines because they don’t dominate food, rather compliment.

Chardonnay,

Fruit for this wine was produced predominantly from our top Keltern Vineyard in Maraekakaho and balanced with premium sites in Ohiti, Te Awanga and the stony soils of Omahu Gravels. The soil type and climate of each site have contributed particular characters to the final wine. The warm and dry summer of 2018 allowed early picking at great flavour ripeness. Picking decisions were based on flavour and natural acid balance allowing the wines to express intensity and purity of fruit with fine definition and length on the palate.


Juices from gently pressed grapes were partially settled before being racked with light lees to French oak barriques (15% new) for natural and inoculated fermentation. Following this, some batches went through natural malolactic fermentation to balance out the natural acidity. Oak barrels were selected for their subtle flavour and aroma profile, adding complexity gained from 10 months maturation on lees. Sensitive winemaking has allowed site and season to be reflected, supporting the defined, complex and elegant style of this wine. Bottled 12th February 2019.

Classic Hawkes Bay Chardonnay. Beautifully fragrant citrus, stone fruit and roasted nuts combine on a finely styled, textured and balanced palate showing good complexity.

This wine can be enjoyed on its own or with salads, seafood, chicken or mild meats.