Almost on the daily I’m asked about whether I think chardonnay is making a comeback. To which I usually snort, roll my eyes and spit “Comeback? Comeback? It never went away!” However that’s because I’m irrationally defensive about chardonnay, I love it so much.
The versions of chardonnay that are on trend at any given time however, vary for sure. I’m not sure how the ‘unoaked’ style became a thing in New Zealand, but in the mid-2000’s they were everywhere and then about ten years later they actually began to taste half-decent. Australia, home to the big, the bold and the buttery, decided around the same time to taihoa on the oak-and-cream-factor. As a consequence, much of their chardonnay that landed on our shores tended towards the thin, minerally and decidedly average and that was all a bit depressing. I also have yet to meet a ‘low-alcohol’ chardonnay that fulfilled my needy tastebuds, but I won’t give up hope.
However through all that, there were still excellent, old-school examples out there, you just had to dig a little deeper to find them. Wines that carried solid stonefruit and smelled like peach and grapefruit sliced up in a freshly-carved oak bowl, and boasted a creamy, almond-like, full-fat finish carried through the decades. Wines that had the scent of a buttered crumpet dusted with cinnamon or of Weetbix on a bed of peaches. It’s just that now we can all feel fully confident and comfortable asking for exactly that and not feeling like we’d just asked for a pickled onion whilst wearing something brown and orange that’s 100% acrylic.
You can taste the love in good chardonnay. You can taste the time, effort and attention to detail that’s been lavished upon it more than any other variety. Good chardonnay will leap from the glass and punch you in the face, leave you speechless for a second or seven, reduced to muffled “yum’s” and “oh wow’s”. Chardonnay will happily lend itself to all manner of different winemaking artistry, it is supremely versatile, it is both a workhorse and a supermodel and deserves our devotion.
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Anthony Joseph Vidal 1888 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2014 $120 (5 stars)
The rumours were out that winemaker Hugh Crichton was planning to release something epic in the Vidal chardonnay stakes, and lordy, they were right. From the most glorious chardonnay vintage Hawke’s Bay has seen in a stretch, comes a formidably gorgeous wine scented with popcorn, gunflint and grilled grapefruit and offering gracefully ripe, roasted stonefruit, soft, caramelized oak characters and a veil of creamy, nutty, spice-edged notes. Beautifully built, beautifully balanced and would look beautiful in your cellar.
www.vidal.co.nz
Sacred Hill Riflemans Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $70 (4.5 stars)
The thing that I love about Riflemans chardonnay is that it doesn’t follow any model, any recipe. It’s simply the absolute best example that Sacred Hill can possibly produce, from the fruit sourced from the tiny, heritage, own-rooted Mendoza block high up on the chalky terraces of the Dartmoor Valley. Clean, precise grapefruit pith layers alongside almond meal, tangelo zest and a long, creamy, cinnamon-dusted finish makes this a more delicate style than recent vintages, but I’m sure it will become one of the greats. The 2016 has a huge future ahead of it.
For stockists near you email: info@sacredhill.com
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Famille Hugel Classic Pinot Gris 2015 $41 (4 stars)
The immediate punch-in-the-face of pear, green apple, quince paste in this brand new release of an Alsace icon will be something you’ll relish. Luscious and exotically spicy, with honeysuckle, fabulous fruit weight and delicious drive across the palate. 100% pinot gris grown in the Riquewihr district has produced a lovely example, which may have tiny tartrate crystals, or ‘wine diamonds’ in the bottle. They’re a harmless result of a natural wine that hasn’t undergone fining or filtration. Of all the Alsace varieties, the team at Hugel will tell you until they’re blue in the face that pinot gris has the greatest aging potential. I, on the other hand, am telling you to forget that and get amongst it immediately.
www.negociants.com
Easthope Te Muna Road Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014 $49.95 (4.5 stars)
Pinot noir from Catherine and Murray Mitchell’s vineyard on Te Muna Road has been carefully whole-bunch fermented to retain the natural sweetness and delicacy of the fruit and then gently pressed in a traditional basket press before being matured for ten months in French oak to inject delicious layers of smoke, spice and earth into the wild cherry, tamarillo and rosehip tea notes already present in the juice. Not fined or filtered, this is a highly concentrated, spice-saturated yet smooth, velvety example.
www.easthope.co.nz
Jacob’s Creek Le Petit Rosé 2017 $14.99 (3.5 stars)
Trina Smith is the rosé winemaker for Jacob’s Creek and she’s a massive fan of the clean, dry, zesty styles of the south of France. Using a combination of pinot noir, grenache and mataro (mourvedre), this is her take on a Provençale style. Crisp, racy and dry, with hints of raspberry, melon and cherry – it’s got Summer sipping written all over it. Serve super-chilled.
Available in supermarkets nationwide.
