Matawhero Church House Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2018 $29.99 
It’s a rare thing to see chardonnay that’s been farmed without irrigation in this country, but the Matawhero team reckon it’s the best way to achieve purity of flavour and really stamp the signature of the soils on a wine. It means the vines need to work really hard to send their roots down to get sustenance, usually in soils that are marginal at best – meaning the berries tend to be small but super-concentrated. This wine romps across the palate leaving a comet’s tail of pineapple, grilled peach, caramelised spice and buttered crumpet characters. Opulent, succulent, in fact, all the ‘ents’ – I love it!
