Tony Bish Wines is a Hawke’s Bay project defined by clarity of vision and the quiet confidence that comes from doing one thing exceptionally well. Tony Bish — widely considered New Zealand’s “King of Chardonnay” — established the label with a singular focus: to elevate Chardonnay through site, structure, and innovation. From his gravity-fed winery inside the Art Deco Urban Winery in Napier, Bish crafts some of the country’s most distinctive and age-worthy white wines, shaped by volcanic soils, maritime influence, and a relentless pursuit of texture.

Fruit is sourced exclusively from Hawke’s Bay, with particular emphasis on the Sacred Hill Riflemans Vineyard and other premium sites within the Bridge Pa Triangle and Havelock Hills. These regions offer a range of limestone, gravel, and clay soils, ideal for producing Chardonnay with both concentration and freshness. Sustainable viticulture is standard across all vineyard partners, with yields carefully managed for purity and precision.

In the cellar, Tony Bish works exclusively with Chardonnay — and entirely without compromise. Fermentation and ageing occur in a variety of vessels: concrete eggs, large-format French oak, and the striking ovum-shaped oak fermenters that have become his signature. Wild yeasts, bâtonnage, and extended lees contact are used strategically to build complexity and mouthfeel. Every decision, from pressing to bottling, is tailored to retain energy, structure, and expressive detail.

The wines span from vibrant, early-drinking styles to serious, cellar-worthy cuvées. Fat & Sassy is rich and approachable, with stone fruit and nutty lees character; Skeetfield and Zen offer depth, salinity, and quiet power — wines of flow, presence, and fine architecture. Across the range, the hallmark is balance: creamy without heaviness, structured without austerity, and always grounded in the coastal brightness of Hawke’s Bay.

What defines Tony Bish Wines is its singularity — not just a focus on Chardonnay, but a commitment to exploring its full range of expression through intuition, innovation, and reverence for site.

These are wines that speak fluently in one dialect — precise, sculptural, and unmistakably carved from Hawke’s Bay stone.