Bell Hill – remember Chardonnay?

Felton Road has a total of more than 32 hectares of vines but Bell Hill is a two-person operation with six acres, just over two hectares, way to the north in a very particular part of the Canterbury appellation, described in detail by Julia in North Canterbury – limestone lovers.

For many years, Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen's total production of a particularly burgundian Chardonnay was only enough to fill two barriques, and the current, 2010, vintage was so small that it yielded only a barrel and a half. In 2010 they filled a full four barrels with their...