The 2009 Chardonnay gives notes of crushed cashews, meal and sulfides over a pink grapefruit and lemon tart core. Medium-bodied and very tightly knit and concentrated yet elegant in the mouth, it has a lovely silky texture and a very long finish. Drink it 2014 to 2020+. First planted in 1997, as the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines continue to mature on this incredibly placed remote vineyard and winery positioned on an old limestone quarry, Bell Hill just gets more and more exciting. Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen have raised the bar high here, not just for New Zealand but for the world. Production is tiny and sadly even tinier in 2010 due to poor flowering. Only 1.5 barrels of the Chardonnay and 4 barrels of the Pinot Noir were produced in 2010 but the wines, in a word, rock. Anyone who truly wants to understand the potential of New Zealand’s greatest terroirs must find a bottle of Bell Hill. Importer: Ronnie Sanders, Vine Street Imports, Philadelphia, PA; tel. (215) 533 9464; Terrell Wines, www.terrellwines.com