Description
The Bell Hill Chardonnay represents the pinnacle of what Waipara (Canterbury) has to offer. Crafted from a blend of old vine parcels—Limeworks, Shelf, and Roadblock—this Chardonnay embodies both power and delicacy, with a core of succulent fruit that's truly captivating.
The winemaking is meticulous yet traditional. The fruit is whole bunch pressed, matured in French oak for 12 months, followed by 7 months in tank before bottling. The result is a rare and beautiful expression of New Zealand Chardonnay and one of the country's most sought-after, with only 2,000 bottles produced.
On the nose, it presents bright yellow fruits and lifted white floral notes, underpinned by wet stone. As the wine opens, it reveals more restrained mineral and flinty aromas. The palate is a masterpiece of texture and balance, starting with a tactile, salivating profile with focused acidity and tension. You'll find flavours of white stone fruits and a touch of lemon meringue, all carried by a lovely linear flow and elegant restraint.
With its impressive cellaring potential, the Bell Hill Chardonnay is not just a wine to enjoy now, but one to treasure for years to come.
98 points
"Intense, vibrant chardonnay with pronounced saline/oyster shell character giving a nod in the direction of Burgundy. A backbone of fine, taut acidity adds energy and suggests cellaring potential. Powerful, beautifully structured wine that is threaded with mouth-watering tension."
- Bob Campbell MW (The Real Review)
96 points
"A blend of several key blocks on the vineyard, fermented naturally, matured in new French oak for 12 months then rested in tank for another seven months before bottling. At five years it remains a wine of coiled tension and latent energy. Floral treble, jasmine and citrus blossom. Funky bass, struck match, discarded oyster shells on a fire hemmed by quartz rocks. Unwavering focus, graceful drive, the length and precision that only great vineyards can build."
- Nick Ryan (The Australian)
Others also liked
Recently viewed
Shipping
Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more!
For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.
We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.
Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.
Sydney (Our Vans): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions our driver will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so if not, they will return the item to us and hold your order until further instruction from you.
Melbourne (Anonymous Wine Freight): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions, the courier will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so. if not, they will return the item to their dispatch centre and hold until further instruction from you.
Australia Post: Australia Post will leave the parcel if they have been given authority to leave and it is deemed safe to do so. To give your Authority to Leave, please enter this in the 'SPECIAL REQUEST' box at checkout.
Ordering
We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. If you see a lower price elsewhere, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you. We handle all our price-matching on a case by case basis.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Retrospective price-matching is available for 30 days after you have purchased from us.
- The price match cannot be used in conjunction with a coupon or one-off deal we are offering. The idea is for you to get the best price in the market so if that is already achieved through a coupon then we won't price match on top of that.
- We don't price match clearance or fire sales.
- We’ll match the listed price as long as it is a legitimate offer and the competing store is actually able to fulfil the order (they have stock or more stock is en route). Essentially we won't price match cheeky vendors listing wines they have no hope of actually getting for you...
- It must be a publicly listed price. We won't match a price that has been achieved through a coupon/cash-back arrangement, or through a non-advertised offer over the phone or otherwise.
- It is limited to a reasonable retail quantity.
We'll treat each price match request on its merit and reserve the right to refuse where we deem fit. For example, particularly rare wines, from non-trust-worthy vendors, in circumstances we deem illegitimate or if we feel our policy is being unfairly taken advantage of.
At the end of the day, we'll look after you and use common sense to ensure you're getting the best price, please just don't take the p%$$!
No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.
We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.
To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you.
If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.
If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.
Just want to talk to someone?
Please don't ever hesitate - we would love to help! Whether it's a problem we can fix, a wine you're not 100% sure on or if you simply want to talk about wine, food and the meaning of life, we are here for you.