Description

Bilancia is the private label for winemakers Warren Gibson (the legendary winemaker of Trinity Hill) and his partner Lorraine Leheny.

La Collina, a rare northfacing hillside vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawke’s Bay. Tiratore, which is “hunter-marksman” in Italian, and is the name given this single vineyard site’s lower slope, terrace and old cobble river bed which was all planted to Chardonnay 2001.  The numerous different clones of Chardonnay, predominantly B95 and UCD15 with a smaller contribution from 548, 809 and Mendoza represented by the stylised artwork of rows on the label.

The fruit is 100% hand-picked, whole bunch pressed to French oak puncheons and barriques for fermentation. Indigenous yeast carried the ferment to dryness. The wine spent 11 months in oak prior to bottling; there was no fining or cold stabilization. There were no additives other than sulfur.

“A very composed and complex chardonnay with fresh peach and grapefruit, as well as almond and hazelnut. Complex and exuberant style. The palate has a very plush, fleshy and cooly composed style with ripe peach and pear and a spicy, nutty finish. Drink now. Screw cap.” 94 points, James Suckling (December 2020)