Te Awanga Estate Mister Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 $21.99 Word on the street is that 2019 was a cracker of a year in Hawke’s Bay for chardonnay and this little Rod McDonald creation definitely doesn’t let the side down. It’s a seriously sippable, grin-inducing burst of nectarine, lemon zest, creamy almond and brulee notes. There’s … Read More
747 Estate Mendoza Selection Chablis Style Gisborne Chardonnay 2017 $24 It doesn’t say so on the label (which has got to be one of the ugliest I’ve ever seen), the 747 Estate is a brand produced by Gisborne chardonnay pioneer Denis Irwin. Who I was expecting more from to be honest. Ugly, lazy label and … Read More
Trinity Hill 125 Gimblett Single Vineyard Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2018 $80 100% Clone 95 chardonnay was harvested from their Tin Shed Vineyard at 125 Gimblett Road, then lovingly shepherded into the bottle by the Trinity Team to create the debut ‘125’. And I am all over it like a chardonnay-obsessed limpet. Aromatically it shows stylish … Read More
Smith & Sheth Cru Heretaunga Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $40 Holy buttered muffin Batman! This blend of clone 95, clone 15 and old Mendoza vines is one of three chardonnays released by Master of Wine Steve Smith and his team at Smith & Sheth, and it’s as complex as the design on the label. Each … Read More
Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay 2018 $40 I love the unusually floral nose, lavender and fennel merge with hallmark peach and citrus pith layers that break in waves across the palate. Supported by a seriously acid-forged spine and edged with smoke, it’s also slightly cloudy, hazy in the glass due to not being conventionally filtered … Read More
Brookfields Marshall Bank Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 ($34.99) Paired with Pacifica Chicken Burgers in the NZ Herald Canvas Magazine 18.1.2020 I love me a chicken burger and given the chance I will always opt for a ripe, rumpty, roast peach-packed example to sip as I snack. Right now, the Brookfields Marshall Bank Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay … Read More
Wild Waves Gisborne Chardonnay 2017 $21 French winemakers Renan Theilloux and Aurélien Mansuy have thrown themselves into making the Wild Waves range of wines, a brand dedicated to their winemaking adventures over oceans, in distant lands before they set roots down in New Zealand. This chardonnay has all those good Gisborne signatures such as ripe … Read More
de la terre Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $40 Ex- Church Road winemaker Tony Prichard has sourced the fruit for this beautifully balanced blockbuster from his tiny, Hill Country Estate vineyard, up on Te Mata Peak. The super-ripe, ultra-clean grapes were 100% handpicked and 100% barrel fermented with a mixture of wild and inoculated yeasts … Read More
Junction Red Card Central Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2015 $19 Four years on from harvest and this little chardonnay is still going strong. Lighter to medium-styled, it’s leaning into the creamy, cashew-like end of the spectrum, yet still showing peach and hints of citrus in the background. Soft, juicy and very easy to sip, it’s a … Read More
Junction Corner Post Central Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2017 $29 Winemaker Leith Ashworth is really hitting his straps with this sensational chardonnay, grown on the Takapau Plains in Central Hawke’s Bay. Robust, roast peach, grilled grapefruit, toasted almond and smoke-soaked aromas and flavours erupt from the glass and the wine also offers something new in every … Read More