Chardonnay is king and queen of the global wine scene, no rhymes intended, because it is the most popular wine in the world and is widely tipped to be the most planted grape variety on Earth. It is also the top drop at Tony Bish's Urban Winery in Napier, an historic building he has refashioned into the  commanding nerve centre of his Chardonnay devoted winery. He is the sole winemaker in Aotearoa New Zealand and in Australasia to devote his entire production entirely to this great white grape.

This weekend, one of his wines was among the 41 lots to earn an impressive $325,697 for the Cranford Hospice at the annual Hawke's Bay Charity Wine Auction. It is an exciting event, which has been running for over three decades, and growing in stature every vintage, rather like the wines donated by the generous talented producers in the Bay. 

This wine of the week earns has great purity of expression, which is impressive given the nature of the 2023 vintage and Cyclone Gabrielle.

Wine of the week

18.5/20
2023 Tony Bish Golden Egg Chardonnay RRP $44.99

Grapes from Bridge Pa, Ohiti Valley and Mangatahi go into this rounded, full bodied Chardonnay from Chardonnista Tony Bish, who brings out sublime flesh and textural interest in this wine and aromatic complexity. Flinty aromas are balanced by citrus freshness and commanding layers of subtle fresh hazelnuts, spice and a silky texture. This wine gains its depth from the grapes, time spent on lees (decomposing yeast cells, post fermentation) and great winemaking. It is devoid of oak - not that you'd know it - and puts a great case forward for the mantra that less is more.