We hosted winemaker Daniel Brennen at Vino Fino a few months ago and this was a highlight wine from the tasting. The Testify range is Daniel's top wines and only produced in the best vintages. This release Daniel calls his "most enjoyable" and "best effort yet". We 100% agree! A classic Hawkes Bay Chardonnay with everything we love about this noble variety.
Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"The 2022 Testify Chardonnay is our first delve into blending the Te Awanga fruit with some vineyards more inland. This resulted in a more lush and probably more of a classic Hawke's Bay style. There is still the firm acidity provided by the ocean front blocks. But the new vineyard and clone provides a richer experience. Personally, I think it's our best yet or at least the most enjoyable. And hey, at the end of the day, that's what it's all about, enjoying delicious wine! This all still 100% barrel fermented in French oak (about 20% new) with lots of lees stirring. And it was important to me to hold this wine back until it was ready. It needed just a bit more time in bottle….but here we are!
The nose is a harmony of white nectarine and the oak-influenced aromas of miso caramel and charred pineapple. The palate is ripe and rich with a brilliantly resolved acidity that sparkles like the crunch of a flaky salt crystal. Fruit is ever-present with layers of nectarine, pineapple, stewed Granny Smith apples, and the smoky oak wafting through."
Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS (2022 Vintage)
"Aromas of roasted stone fruits and lemon peel, a touch of gunflint then barrel spices, a nut burnt butter quality highlights both wood influence, lees and ripeness of fruit. Lovely weight and satin-cream cream texture combine to deliver a plush raw-silk mouthfeel. Flavours of nut, spice, citrus and stone fruits reflect the bouquet. Dry, persistent, taut and youthful, a wine that will continue to age and develop if stored well. Best drinking from late 2023 through 2029."
4 Stars Yvonne Lorkin, October 2023 (2022 Vintage)
"Gloriously golden in the glass this is a creamy, nutty, roast nectarine-scented chardonnay that’s the result of blending fruit from Te Awanga fruit with vineyards inland. 100% barrel fermented, it’s a style that’s easy, fleshy, softly peachy and dangerously drinkable. There’s a seam of minerality rolling through the wine and it adds to its generous finish. It’s the kind of chardonnay that’s crying out for oozy, ripe, nutty brie."