Bilancia Tiratore La Collina Vineyard Chardonnay 2020

Bilancia Tiratore La Collina Vineyard Chardonnay 2020

 

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Bilancia
Tiratore La Collina Vineyard Chardonnay 2020
  • Vintage : 2020
  • Country : New Zealand
  • Region : Hawkes Bay
  • Subregion :
  • Type : White
  • Style : Medium Bodied Aromatic Dry
  • Format : 75cl
  • Alcohol : 13,5°
  • Grappes : 100% Chardonnay

Bilancia Tiratore La Collina Vineyard Chardonnay is a beautifully balanced expression of Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay, delivering fresh citrus and stone fruit notes with a precise mineral finish, crafted from the renowned la collina vineyard.

Experts Score Vintage
RP Robert Parker 96+ 2020
BC Bob Campbell MW 95 2019
JS James Suckling 94 2019
VN Vinous (Antonio Galloni) 93 2019
More information on wine critics and ratings

Region and Vineyards

The Bilancia Tiratore Chardonnay is produced from the la collina vineyard in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The vineyard is planted on lower slopes, terraces, and an old riverbed, providing a range of soil types that add complexity to the wine. The vineyard is notable for its variety of Chardonnay clones, predominantly B95 and UCD15, with smaller contributions from 548 and 809 in this vintage.

The site has a fascinating history—when planting the vines, old bullets were found in many of the holes dug, suggesting the area was once used for target practice. The wine’s name, Tiratore, meaning "marksman" in Italian, reflects this unique history and Bilancia’s aim to craft a Chardonnay that hits its mark with precision.

Winemaking

This vintage of Bilancia Tiratore Chardonnay is made using 100% hand-picked fruit. The grapes are whole-bunch pressed and the juice is fermented with indigenous yeast in French oak barriques. The wine spends 11 months in oak to develop complexity and depth, with no fining or cold stabilization, allowing for a more authentic expression of the vineyard’s character.

Only minimal sulfur was added, and no other additives were used, ensuring the wine reflects its natural purity and balance between ripe fruit and oak influence.

Tasting Notes

  • Color: Pale gold with a brilliant shine.
  • Aroma: Expressive aromas of citrus and stone fruit, with underlying notes of salinity and subtle oak spices.
  • Palate: On the palate, the wine is taut and textured, with flavors of ripe citrus (lemon, lime) and stone fruit (peach, apricot), balanced by a hint of salinity. The wine’s great structure and precise acidity give it a refreshing length and a lingering, elegant finish.
  • Finish: Long and clean, with a subtle interplay of fruit and mineral notes.

Did You Know?

The name Tiratore, meaning "marksman" in Italian, was inspired by the discovery of old bullets during the vineyard planting at la collina. This unique history is reflected in the wine’s label and speaks to the precision with which Bilancia aims to craft their flagship Chardonnay.

Wine Pairing Ideas

  • Pan-seared scallops with lemon butter: The wine’s acidity and citrus flavors enhance the richness of the scallops and the brightness of the lemon butter.
  • Roast chicken with thyme: The Chardonnay’s structure and subtle oak notes complement the savory flavors of roast chicken and herbs.
  • Grilled lobster with garlic butter: The wine’s salinity and citrus notes balance the sweetness of the lobster and the richness of the garlic butter.
  • Pasta with white truffle oil: The earthy character of truffle oil pairs beautifully with the wine’s stone fruit and mineral-driven profile.

History of Bilancia

Bilancia was founded in the late 1990s by winemakers Warren Gibson and Lorraine Leheny, both of whom have extensive experience in the wine industry. Warren has worked across New Zealand and internationally, including prestigious roles in France and Australia, while Lorraine brings her expertise from her background in Australian winemaking. Together, they envisioned creating a winery that focused on balance in all aspects of winemaking, from vineyard to bottle.

The name Bilancia, meaning balance in Italian, reflects the winery’s philosophy of harmonizing fruit, acidity, tannin, and oak to create wines of depth and finesse. This idea of balance also refers to the Libra sign, emphasizing the precision and care taken in every decision, from vineyard management to harvest. Since its founding, Bilancia has become one of the most respected boutique wineries in New Zealand, known for its terroir-driven wines, particularly from the la collina vineyard.

Region and Vineyards

Bilancia is based in the Hawke’s Bay region, one of the most diverse and important wine-producing areas in New Zealand. Hawke’s Bay benefits from a warm maritime climate, long sunshine hours, and cooling sea breezes, creating an ideal environment for Chardonnay, Syrah, and other varieties. The region’s diverse soils, including limestone, sandstone, and alluvial gravels, contribute to the complexity and variety of the wines produced here.

The winery’s flagship vineyard, la collina, is located on the steep slopes of Roys Hill, a site with limestone-rich soils that are perfect for producing wines with structure and minerality. The vineyard's location, with its well-draining slopes and optimal sun exposure, allows for low yields of intensely flavored fruit. The Syrah grown on this vineyard is particularly renowned for its balance of floral aromatics, dark fruit, and spicy undertones, while the Chardonnay reflects the site’s minerality and precision.

Additionally, Trelinnoe Vineyard on Roys Hill contributes to Bilancia’s Chardonnay portfolio. The vineyard’s sandstone over limestone soils impart a crisp acidity and a mineral-driven profile, while the careful selection of clones like UCD15 ensures a complex and age-worthy wine. These sites are managed with an eye toward sustainability, ensuring the long-term health of the vines and the land.

Wine Range

Bilancia is particularly known for its Chardonnay and Syrah, with a strong focus on expressing the individual characteristics of each vineyard.

  • La Collina Syrah is the flagship red, known for its intensity, balance, and complex flavors of dark fruit, spice, and floral notes. This wine is crafted from the steep hillside vineyard, benefiting from careful vineyard management and minimal intervention in the winery.

  • Tiratore Chardonnay is another standout, offering a refined, mineral-driven expression of Chardonnay from the la collina vineyard, with bright acidity and subtle oak integration.

  • Uvaggio Field Blend is a unique white blend of Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne, showcasing the winery’s Rhône varietals with a focus on texture, freshness, and aromatic complexity.

  • Trelinnoe Vineyard Chardonnay is a small-production, single-vineyard wine that highlights the sandstone and limestone soils of Roys Hill, offering crisp acidity, stone fruit flavors, and a mineral backbone.

Did You Know?

The name Bilancia reflects the winery’s focus on balance and harmony, not only in the wine itself but also in the vineyard and winemaking process. The la collina vineyard was once used as a firing range, and old bullets were found during the vineyard’s establishment, inspiring the name of their Tiratore Chardonnay, which means "marksman" in Italian.

Robert Parker (RP) : 96+ Points (2020)
The 2020 Tiratore Chardonnay is darker in color than the 2022 and 2021 tasted beside it. On the nose, there's a cavalcade of white spice, star anise, fennel, clove, jasmine tea and even licorice. Nice. In the mouth, the wine is electrified by scintillating acidity, which helps the fruit really settle onto the tongue and allows the phenolics to create a wide web of texture that coats the palate. This is gently chewy and totally composed. Excellent. This shows what a good vintage with some time in bottle will do. Yes. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Bob Campbell MW (BC) : 95 Points (2019)
Second release of a new label, which is significantly better than the inaugural release from 2018. Rich and quite complex chardonnay with grapefruit, citrus and tree fruit supported by gentle acidity. A silken-textured wine that promises to develop well.

James Suckling (JS) : 94 Points (2019)
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.

Vinous (Antonio Galloni) (VN) : 93 Points (2019)
Hailing from Chardonnay vines planted in 2001 on Warren Gibson and Lorrain Leheny's increasingly revered La Collina vineyard, this is a rather refined Chardonnay with some clever winemaking detail in terms of lees and integrated oak. It offers just enough satisfying flesh to get your mouth into while remaining precise with virginal purity of fruit. It tends toward the more savory side of the flavor spectrum, with almond-croissant-like characters to the fore, while floral and pineapple notes provide the high notes. Poised and lengthy, this is a sleeper and one of only a handful of New Zealand Chardonnays that I'd consider for longer-term cellaring.

Bilancia La Collina Syrah 2020
Bilancia La Collina Syrah 2020
Bilancia
La Collina Syrah 2020
RP
98
BC
98
JS
99
Crafted from hand-harvested fruit grown on the sunny slopes of the la collina vineyard, the Bilancia La Collina Syrah delivers a captivating blend of black fruit, savory notes, and finely integrated oak, with the structure and depth to age gracefully.
105,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Bilancia Uvaggio Field Blend 2021
Bilancia Uvaggio Field Blend 2021
Bilancia
Uvaggio Field Blend 2021
RP
93
The Bilancia Uvaggio Field Blend offers a refined expression of Rhône white varietals, with layers of stone fruit, floral notes, and a touch of minerality, crafted from hand-harvested grapes in the renowned la collina vineyard.
67,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Bilancia Trelinnoe Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
Bilancia Trelinnoe Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
Bilancia
Trelinnoe Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
RP
96
BC
96
JS
95
The Bilancia Trelinnoe Vineyard Chardonnay is a refined single-vineyard Chardonnay from Roys Hill, Hawke’s Bay, showcasing the unique terroir of the Trelinnoe Vineyard with a perfect balance of fruit and oak.
45,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Bilancia Chardonnay 2022
Bilancia Chardonnay 2022
Bilancia
Chardonnay 2022
RP
92
JS
96
BC
93
The Bilancia Chardonnay is a beautifully crafted expression of Hawke’s Bay, delivering a balance of ripe stone fruit and vibrant citrus, with a refreshing acidity and elegant oak integration. This wine exemplifies the purity and finesse of New Zealand Chardonnay.
35,00 €
Quantity : moins plus
Wine regions guide
67,00 €
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