Elspeth is the top tier at Mills Reef, and this is their flagship Chardonnay: a single-vineyard Hawke's Bay white, barrel fermented in French oak and given 10 months on its lees. Expect peach and citrus, butterscotch and toasted nuts, and a full, rounded palate rather than a lean one. It drinks well now and will hold for years.
The whole crop came off one north-facing block in the Maraekakaho hills, picked across 9 days in March. 9 days is a narrow window, and it points to fruit that went in at the ripeness the winemaker wanted rather than the ripeness the weather allowed.
This is the top Chardonnay from a producer well known for its Gimblett Gravels reds, given the full barrel-ferment treatment on fruit from a single block, and priced well below what that normally costs. It's a good pour for a Sunday roast, or for the friend who says they don't like Chardonnay and turns out to mean they don't like thin Chardonnay. It's generous and ready now, so there's nothing to wait for.
What it tastes like
Orange blossom and ripe stonefruit on the nose, with butterscotch sitting behind. The palate is where the work shows: baked peach and apple, a pomelo-like citrus bite that keeps it from turning sweet, then vanilla and cashew through a long finish.
It's a big, warm, openly flavoured Chardonnay. If your preference runs to the tight, flinty, high-acid style, this isn't that wine and won't become it with time.
Style at a glance
- Body: Full
- Sweetness: Dry
- Acidity: Medium, enough to balance the weight
- Oak: 100% French oak hogsheads, 35% of them new. Vanilla, toast and spice, well integrated
- Style: Rich, textural, barrel fermented, nutty, long
Food
Mills Reef suggest slow-cooked pulled pork with sweet potato, and that's a good steer: this wine wants something sweet-edged and a bit fatty rather than delicate. Roast chicken with tarragon works, so does grilled crayfish with butter, or scallops seared hard and finished with brown butter. Pork belly, a mushroom risotto, or a well-made macaroni cheese will all sit comfortably against it. The one to try if you're curious is roast pumpkin with cumin and yoghurt, where the sweetness in the pumpkin picks up the butterscotch and the cumin has something to push against.
Who makes it
Mills Reef was started in 1989 by the Preston family and built its name on Gimblett Gravels reds, which is still where much of its reputation sits. Since 2020 Mills Reef has been part of The Wine Portfolio, an independent family-owned company whose winery and cellar door sit at Katikati, just outside Tauranga, on a site that's been making wine since 1978. Elspeth is the name on the top wines in the range, and the Chardonnay is the white that carries it.
About the vintage
2024 was a standout year for New Zealand generally. James Suckling called it perhaps the country's greatest vintage yet, describing wines with real character and freshness across whites and reds alike. In Hawke's Bay specifically it was also a small year: The Real Review reported the regional crop down 20 to 30% on recent years and, from a firsthand look at the region over Easter, called the harvest small but beautiful, with the reduced crop feeding straight into quality. Fewer bunches on the vine means the same leaf area ripening less fruit, which is the ordinary mechanism behind a concentrated vintage.
On this vineyard, the season ran consistently warm and clear, with sunny days and even temperatures through the growing period. That let Mills Reef pick at the ripeness they wanted rather than racing the weather, hand-harvesting over nine days in March. The Maraekakaho block helps here too: it's slightly elevated and north facing, on free-draining silty loam over gravel, which keeps water moving away from the roots and gives the fruit a long, even ripening.
Hawke's Bay is New Zealand's second largest wine region, and Hawke's Bay Wine, the region's own growers' body, names red blends and Chardonnay as what it does best, describing the regional Chardonnay style as full-bodied and lengthy, almost opulent, with finely tuned acidity balancing the richness. That's a fair description of this wine, and of a good deal of what the region made in 2024.
When to drink it
Mills Reef say drink it now or cellar it carefully for five to seven years. It's ready now and under no pressure. If you're cellaring it, keep it somewhere genuinely cool and dark - rich Chardonnay is less forgiving of a warm cupboard than a tannic red.
Technical details
| Winery |
Mills Reef |
| Wine |
Elspeth Chardonnay |
| Vintage |
2024 |
| Variety |
Chardonnay |
| Vineyard |
Single vineyard, Maraekakaho |
| Region |
Hawke's Bay |
| Country |
New Zealand |
| Alcohol |
14% |
| Harvest |
Hand-picked over nine days in March 2024 |
| Fermentation |
Barrel fermented in 100% French oak hogsheads (300L); 35% malolactic fermentation |
| Oak |
Ten months in French oak, 35% new, with frequent lees stirring |
| Closure |
Screwcap |
| Cellaring |
Now to 5-7 years |
| Serving temperature |
Best served around 10-12°C |
Where to buy
For international delivery to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, the Mills Reef Elspeth Chardonnay 2024 is available via our winenz.com website. For delivery in New Zealand you can purchase from thewineryonline.co.nz. If you are visiting New Zealand, you can also buy it at our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine.
Questions we are often asked
What does Mills Reef Elspeth Chardonnay 2024 taste like?
Peach, citrus and butterscotch, with vanilla and cashew on the finish. It's a full-bodied, barrel-fermented Hawke's Bay Chardonnay, dry, with moderate acidity and plenty of oak character.
Is Mills Reef Elspeth Chardonnay oaked?
Heavily. The 2024 was fermented entirely in French oak hogsheads, 300-litre barrels, and spent ten more months in oak with 35% of the barrels new. That's where the vanilla, toast and butterscotch come from.
What food goes with Mills Reef Elspeth Chardonnay?
Richer dishes than a lighter Chardonnay would take: pulled pork, roast chicken, pork belly, crayfish or scallops in butter, or mushroom risotto. Mills Reef suggest slow-cooked pulled pork with sweet potato.
How long will Mills Reef Elspeth Chardonnay 2024 keep?
Mills Reef say five to seven years from vintage with careful cellaring, though it's drinking well now too.
Was 2024 a good vintage in Hawke's Bay?
Yes. The crop was down 20 to 30% on recent years, and the smaller crop concentrated the fruit. James Suckling called 2024 perhaps New Zealand's greatest vintage yet.
Where can I buy Mills Reef Elspeth Chardonnay 2024?
The Winery ships Mills Reef Elspeth Chardonnay 2024 internationally from winenz.com to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, and delivers within New Zealand from thewineryonline.co.nz. It is also available in our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores.
