Estate Chardonnay '16 ★★★★1/2 - '...Delightfully drinkable...'

'My benchmark. Te Mata Estate is the standard by which every other wine producer could be judged. The full range of styles has always been impeccable.'

Elston Chardonnay '16 ★★★★1/2 - 'A concentrated chardonnay in a tight and tangy style.' 94/100

'If there was Kiwi wine aristocracy, Te Mata would be it. Nestled in the foothills of the Te Mata heritage zone, they make some of the best wines in the country. Independent, family-owned, exclusively Hawke's Bay, and committed to making premium wine on site.'

'The Listener asked Michael Cooper to select the ‘Best Wines’ in New Zealand. Across five wine styles, Michael chose a total of eight wines, including two from Te Mata Estate. Te Mata Estate Coleraine and Te Mata Estate Elston.'

Elston '15 ★★★★★ - 'The wine flows seamlessley to a lingering expansive finish, and promises to develop gracefully... Iconic Chardonnay.' 95 Points

'Bold style, and not lacking in flavour. Peaches sizzled in butter, sage and clove, grilled nuts and ruby red grapefruit. It’s full bodied, savoury and nutty, layered with spice and caramel, but cut into shape with tangy lime acidity, finishing bright and savoury at once.' 92 Points

Elston '15 ★★★★★ - '...youthful, with intense, citrusy, peachy flavours, mealy notes adding complexity, and has obvious potential...'

Elston '15 - ...'The palate is firm and tight, with lively acidity and terrific concentration. Very impressive.' 95/100

'With some of the country’s finest wines on its books there’s little doubt that Hawke’s Bay can produce outstanding-quality reds and whites. You’ll now find Hawke’s Bay wines in Michelin restaurants from Paris to Monaco.'

Elston '15 ★★★★★ - '...this is the best young Elston I have seen...' 19/20 points

Elston '15 - 'Full and vivid. Exciting New World wine with an Old World sensibility.' 94 points

Elston '14 ★★★★★ - 'As always, this is restrained and elegant; showing delicate aromas of white stone fruit, ripe citrus, vanilla and oatmeal, which lead to a lovely expansive palate that is finely textured and brilliantly structured by juicy acidity. Impressive poise and harmony, and promising much more to come with bottle age. At its best: 2016 to 2025.' 94 Points

'Elston Chardonnay ’14 - like a top-notch Burgundy; concentrated, focused and linear with scintillating fruit purity and stylish complexity. Aromas of white nectarine, rockmelon, brioche, toasted almond and flint lead to a finely textured palate that is beautifully weighted and flowing. The wine is attractive and intriguing at the same time, and delivers an extremely long, delicately mouth-watering finish.' 95 points ★★★★★

Awatea '14 - '2013 was an outstanding vintage for New Zealand's answer to the Médoc and northern Rhône rolled into one: Hawke's Bay ... 2014 is thought of as potentially even better than the outstanding 2013.'

Elston '14 - 'Impressive intensity and harmony.' 17/20

Elston '14 - 'Pretty white peach, apples and oatmeal notes with hints of toast and cashews. Elegant in the medium-bodied mouth with a good amount of oak nicely matched by fruit.' 91 Points

Elston '14 - 'Nectarine, apples, toast and spices with digestive biscuits. Medium to full bodied, firm core of acidity through distinctly savoury toasty flavours, creamy oatmeal perked up with preserved and fresh lemons. Finish is pretty fresh, and of decent length. Could do with a year or two to unwind, then go.' 92 points

Elston '14 ★★★★★ - 'Concentrated, weighty chardonnay that’s as good as I can recall from this high-performing label.' 95 Points

Elston '13- 'A bright lemon gold colour, with the classic Hawke’s Bay ripe peach aroma and notes of perfumed citrus blossom and oatmeal biscuit. On the palate it shows great intensity and balance with ripe characters of ripest stone fruit, sweet lemon and creamy nougat.'

Elston '13 - 'This chardonnay pushes boundaries of elegance, refinement and great taste. It has a lovely balance of fresh acidity with full body and big fleshy ripe stonefruit. A great wine.'

'This wine has the drive of a Lamborghini. It's powerful and linear yet remains sleek. Expect aromas of pineapple, white peach plus new oak-derived hazelnut characters.'

'A classic - yet refined and elegant - Hawk'es Bay chardonnay bouquet. Dry, warm, bold and flavorful. Classic New World attributes - peachy fruity core and a juicy fleshy layer with a nutty and brulee-like layer,'

'Brilliant light straw-yellow colour with golden hues at the heart. The nose is soft and restrained initially with a tight core of citrus fruit and yellow stonefruits along with balance nutty interest. Citrus fruits, yellow stonefruits, mealy and nutty elements emerge, with minerals toast and cream building to enrich the palate. This is fine-textured and elegant in concentration with integrated acidity lending the energy to drive the wine to a very long, packed finish.' 19/20 ★★★★★

'Chardonnay lovers ahoy! This is a stunner. With white- flesh peach, nectarine and grapefruit tones on the nose and palate, it’s superb. Boasting a crunchy acid spine, rich fruit concentrations and a fresh exfoliating texture - this will be a wine to watch over the next four to five years. Stunner.' ★★★★★

Elston '12- 'A wine of delicate precision and focus, this young beauty shows white peach, rockmelon, ripe citrus and subtle creamy notes on the nose. The palate is equally elegant and pristine with fine texture and whispering fruit flavours. Excellent balance harmony.' 93 points ★★★★★

Elston '12- 'Bright, even straw colour with green hues. The nose is tightly concentrated and elegant in proportion with aromas of yellow stonefruits and citrus fruits ... good power and depth, with bright acidity to an elegant, long finish.' 18.5/20 ★★★★★

Elston '12- 'Peachy, buttery aromas, and the palate is beautifully balanced, bringing together fruit, acid and structure with a pleasingly creamy texture. Excellent drinking. Highly Recommended.'

The 2011 vintage is light lemon/green, with a complex, mealy bouquet.Full-bodied and rich, it is tightly structured, with layers of peach, fig, spice and butterscotch flavours, finely balanced acidity, and impressive ripeness, complexity and length.' Super Classic. ★★★★★

'Elegant and refined as ever, this young chardonnay is restrained at this stage but shows plenty of promise. The bouquet shows white peach, oatmeal, almond and a hint of vanilla notes. It’s focused and finely textured on the palate with lovely acidity. This will blossom into a magnificent beauty.' 94 points ★★★★★

'Bright straw-yellow colour with slight lemon-green hues, pale on rim. This has an elegant and tightly bound nose with pronounced citrus fruit aromas harmoniously integrated with spicy oak and delicate buttery MLF elements. Medium bodied, deep flavours of citrus fruits and nutty, spicy oak form a concentrated core with a fine textural line. The acidity is crisp and lacy, providing drive and tension, and is well-balanced by a subtle creaminess from the barrel-fermentation.' 18/20 ★★★★★

Elston '11- 'A light lemon/green, with a complex, mealy bouquet. Layers of peach, fig, spice and butterscotch flavours, finely balanced acidity, and impressive ripeness, complexity and length.' Classic ★★★★★

Elston '11- 'A classy, highly refined red, it is fragrant and deeply coloured, with loads of plummy, spicy flavour, hints of leather and buts and obvious cellaring potential. Savoury and harmonious, with good tannin backbone, it offers top value.' Classic ★★★★★

"A magnificent beauty."

Elston '11- "Integration and complexity as well as fine texture throughout the palate... lifted aromas of dried herbs, citrus, peach and flint. It’s taut, linear and mouth-watering, and very long on the finish."

'Te Mata Estate - Four stars out of four. Grand and prestigious. Especially good within it’s price range.'

Elston '10- 'Exhibiting flavours like pineapple and citrus that we’ve come to expect from Elston, with a delicate hint of honeycomb on the warm rich finish and bright acidity leaving a mouthfeel that is vibrant and clean.'

'Intense aromas of pineapple, guava and warm apricot over nuances of cream, nuts, toast and oatmeal.' 90+ points.

'A concentrated and complex chardonnay with impressive weight and a mix of grapefruit, peach and stone fruit, with bready yeast lees and nutty oak characters. Rich with exotic sumptuousness.' 96 points ★★★★★

Elston '10 - 'This wine is unbelievably gorgeous... It boasts amazing length of flavour and it's definitely a chardonnay for lovers of the classic french style.'

Elston '10 & '07- 'Fabulous chardonnay with insane density... it's full and layered with great concentration and structure.'

Elston '10- "Rich with exotic sumptuousness..."

'2009 will no doubt become one of the best Elstons. Focused and linear, with lovely fine texture. Harmonious and flows seamlessly to an extremely long, delicate finish.' 94 points

Elston '09- 'It’s beautiful - and impressive. It tastes of green melon, flint, spicy oak and pineapple. It has terrific intensity and a scintillating sense of purity. It has some milky, powdery, chalky aspects too and the instant it hits your tongue you think - here’s a live one. The aftertaste is like chewing on fresh bran/oatmeal. It’s a stunning wine.' 93 points

'Intense fruit, nutty lees and quality oak. Rich and satisfying.' Highly recommended

'Intense fruit, nutty lees and quality oak. Rich and satisfying.' Highly recommended.

Elston '09- '95 points. Intense Chardonnay with good grapefruit, peach and plenty of oak and lees character. A complex wine... it has good cellaring potential.'

Elston '09- "Intense fruit, nutty lees and quality oak. Rich and satisfying. Highly recommended."

'Light golden straw in colour, this showed a full, intense nose of smoky, spicy, oak tinged nectarine and grapefruit-like fruit with mealy, nutty aromas. Full-bodied, yet with class and style, this had superb concentration of rich, stonefruit and mealy flavours on a palate of fine textures and excellent acidity for balance. This evolved in glass revealing layers of flavour.' 19/20

'Pure and refined with citrus, stonefruit and a hint of creamy notes.'

'Te Mata Elston, one of our premier chardonnays, we were treated to a trio of vintage expressions from 2004, 2006 and 2008... The powerful 2006 was my pick and is at its peak while the supremely elegant 2008 is already sold out.'

Elston '08- "The powerful 2006 was my pick and is at it's peak while the supremely elegant 2008 is already sold out."

Elston '07- 'A lovely citrus undertow with apricot and a touch of pineapple towards the harmonious finish. This is a divine Hawke's Bay chardonnay.' 91 points

'This is the flagship white and, as befits a wine of such status, it doesn’t disappoint, displaying very fine Burgundian-like malty aromas and an equally fine creamy palate. It has a mealy texture with seamless oak integration and a balancing mineral grip on a long finish.' Outstanding

'Tastings have repeatedly proved Hawkes Bay’s chardonnays are spectacular. They resonate with freshness, precision, richness and minerality. Amongst the most impressive of the 2007’s - Te Mata Elston.'

Elston '07 and Awatea '06 both featured in Matthew Jukes Top 60

Elston '07- "Like grand cru Burgundy."

Elston '07- "One of this years greats."

Elston '07 - 'Tastings have repeatedly proved Hawke's Bay’s chardonnays are spectacular. They resonate with freshness, precision, richness and minerality. [Amongst] the most impressive of the 2007’s – Te Mata Elston.'

Elston '06 - 'Just released are the honey, citrus, butterscotch ‘06 Elston Chardonnay and ‘06 Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc much more complex and textural than most Kiwi sauvignons.'

Elston '06- '...it is Chardonnay that is making their very best white wines.'

Elston '06 - Te Mata Estate Elston Chardonnay was a winner in the New Zealand's Listener "The Best of New Zealand Wines" category.

Elston '06 - 'The whole-cluster pressed 2006 Elston Chardonnay has much more sophistication. 91 Points