2017 Trinity Hill Black Label Chardonnay Gimblet Gravels Hawke's Bay NZ 750 ml

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has called Trinity Hill “one of Hawke’s Bay’s outstanding producers.” The wines are poured at Michelin-starred establishments like Eleven Madison Park and Michael Mina. 

We fell first for their Syrahs, but this Burgundian-style 2017 Chardonnay—with “such good depth and drive” according to James Suckling—represents the absolute height of the sub-region. An under-$30 benchmark bottling.

Straw-green in the glass and singing with mineral cut and definition, the beautifully integrated oak underlines the brilliant tension between ripe fruit and juicy, fresh acidity. In a blind test, even the best palates could easily confuse this with white Burgundy, where such a bottle would fetch $50 or $60.

But because it hails from the ascendant, sediment-rich corner of New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay, today this radiant Chardonnay—which won a stunning 95 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards—is just $28 per bottle for Wine Access members.

Harmonizing stony minerality with silky stone fruit lusciousness and New World vibrancy, the Trinity Hill Black Label Chardonnay is an exemplary Kiwi release. The bargain price should tempt you to buy a few extra bottles to stick in the cellar and forget about as it unlocks deeper power over the next couple years.

Trinity Hill was founded over a dinner table. Winemaker John Hancock opened a bottle of the legendary Morton Estate Chardonnay at the Bleeding Heart bistro in London with the restaurateurs, Robert and Robyn Wilson. As they teased out the rolling floral aromas of the Hawke’s Bay bottle, the trio decided to start a winery that would celebrate the region, in particular Gimblett Gravels—New Zealand’s only winemaking region defined by its soils.

Indeed, the name is no misnomer: formed by the Ngaruroro River carving a path in the lee of Roy’s Kill, the area is rife with deep river gravels, stones, and sand that support drainage and deep root systems below the vines. The low fertility of this terroir, in combination with a microclimate that’s much warmer than the surrounding area, leads vines to pour all their energy into producing succulent berries with weighty, round concentration.

Barrel-fermented in 50% new French oak, winemaker Warren Gibson preserves all the richness without sacrificing any of the Meyer lemon acidity. It might be the bane of aspiring Masters of Wine trying to ace their tasting exam (who might peg it for a Côte de Beaune Premier Cru), but for just $28, it’s Gimblett Gravels at its best.