Keltern Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2027
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared scallops with lemon-butter sauce, roasted chicken with wild mushrooms, or creamy pasta dishes like fettuccine Alfredo.
✨ Technical Specifications
Sourced from a single, legendary site in the Bridge Pa Triangle of Hawke's Bay, the Villa Maria Keltern Chardonnay is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's premier white wines. Established on an ancient riverbed where silt loam blankets deep stony gravels, the Keltern Vineyard benefits from a unique microclimate that tempers the warm Hawke's Bay sun, preserving a vibrant, linear acidity. This 100% Chardonnay is crafted using traditional wild yeast fermentation in French oak barriques, followed by extended maturation on yeast lees with regular stirring. The result is a masterful expression of terroir, balancing intense stone fruit and citrus characters with a distinctive flinty minerality and a creamy, beautifully textured palate.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1961 by Sir George Fistonich, Villa Maria stands as one of New Zealand's most celebrated and pioneering wine producers. From its historic roots in Auckland, the winery has established extensive vineyard holdings across the premier winegrowing regions of Marlborough, Hawke's Bay, and Gisborne. Renowned for its steadfast dedication to sustainability and quality innovation, Villa Maria played an instrumental role in shaping modern New Zealand viticulture and championing regional expressiveness. The estate's diverse portfolio ranges from the globally recognized Private Bin series to site-specific single-vineyard and Reserve wines, excelling in vibrant Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, refined Pinot Noir, complex Chardonnay, and structured Hawke's Bay red blends.