Te Awanga Estate The Loom Hawke’s Bay Reserve Chardonnay 2018 $34 Glossy, golden and going gangbusters on the pineapple and peach front, this Rod McDonald creation just powers across the palate leaving a comets tail of caramelised spices, buttered crumpet crumbs, grapefruit zest and tropical tastiness abound. It’s silky, succulent and seriously sexy to sip. … Read More
Pegasus Bay Virtuoso Waipara Chardonnay 2016 $60 I don’t know what Mat Donaldson and the team at Pegasus Bay did in their past lives, but clearly they were lovely to puppies, helped lots of elderly people across the street, paid their taxes and put teaspoons of sugar water out for tired bumblebees to drink, because … Read More
Black Estate Home North Canterbury Chardonnay 2018 $42 The Home Vineyard sits 6 kilometres north east of the Waipara Junction, in the Omihi sub-district of North Canterbury’s Waipara Valley. The un-grafted, Mendoza-clone chardonnay vines this wine was made from were planted in 1994 and since 2010 have been grown using organic and biodynamic practices, resulting … Read More
Mahurangi River Winery Field of Grace Reserve Matakana Chardonnay 2014 $54 Incredibly glossy and golden when poured, this chardonnay from a tiny corner of Matakana is absolutely roaring into life after sitting quietly for a couple of years just building its confidence and character. Complex smoke and toast notes merge with roast stonefruit, lemon pith … Read More
Te Awanga Estate One Off Underground Organic Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $33 Grown out in the rocky soils of what the locals call ‘the RD9’ (or Maraekakaho to the townies), this organic chardonnay comes courtesy of the skilled winemaking wizardry of Rod McDonald. Wait. How rocky are the soils I hear you ask? Ok. So … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $25 With its nectarine and peachy creaminess and with cashew characters abound, this new chardonnay from Guillaume Thomas has got instant crowd-appeal. Richly structured, but showing fresh, frisky acidity, it’s a juicy, easy drink with solid stonefruit complexity on the mid-palate and finish. www.maisonnoire.nz
Mahi Single Vineyard Alchemy Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 $39.90 Hands up who loves their chardonnay to unleash smoke signals and roasty, toasty, nutty notes on the nose and palate? Well this new release from Brian Bicknell and his team at Mahi will have you reaching for superlatives in seconds flat. Using fruit sourced from a small … Read More
Te Awanga Estate Mister Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $18 If you’re looking for a chardonnay boasting peachy punchiness, a lick of creaminess, a sprinkling of nuttiness and citrus all the way home, then you’ve come to the correct cul-de-sac. It’s fresh, feisty and has crowd appeal written all over it. With its whimsical label … Read More
Matahiwi Holly South Series Wairarapa Chardonnay 2018 $33 While the team at Matahiwi have been turning out cracking chardonnay from Hawke’s Bay for years now, the Holly South Series is all about celebrating their southern roots. Grown in their ‘Home’ vineyard near the winery, just outside of Masterton, this chardonnay is richly structured, with punchy … Read More
Matahiwi Estate Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $18-$22 If I was giving out ribbons and bells for the most consistent, value-for-money-under-the-radar-chardonnay over the last 4 years the Matahiwi would be a veritable morris dancer of a sip. Shiny and new, with tropical fruit up the wazoo, expect an extra lash of peach, rockmelon, guava, grapefruit, toast … Read More