LV Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 $48 Straight off the bat, this is by far the most delicious chardonnay I’ve tasted in aeons! Aromas of creme caramel and freshly cut grapefruit and grilled stonefruit lead to the most elegant and statuesque palate that’s oh so concentrated and saturated with citrus and stonefruit. Winemaker Louis Vavasour has gone … Read More
Chardonnay
Hunter’s Marlborough Chardonnay 2017
Hunter’s Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 $24 Holy peach pit Batman! This is like a tropical, toasty roundhouse kick to the face by a cheeky chardonnay often discounted down to the $18.99 mark. Absolutely heaving with gorgeous roast stonefruit, grilled grapefruit, toasted cashew, and incredibly zesty acidity makes this a wow moment for me as chardonnay lover … Read More
Lamont Central Otago Chardonnay 2017
Lamont Central Otago Chardonnay 2017 $32 Winemaker Craig Gasson sourced superlatively good fruit from Sue and Andrew Penniket’s organic and dry-farmed Minaret Peaks vineyard down in Wanaka for this new release chardonnay. Handpicked, whole bunch pressed and fermented in a concrete egg fermenter, it erupts with sweet cashew, stonefruit and citrus on the nose and … Read More
Collaboration Wines Impression White (chardonnay) 2017 $27
Collaboration Wines Impression White (chardonnay) 2017 $27 Crafted by Julianne Brogden from 100% Mendoza-clone fruit sourced near Havelock North, this is one chardonnay that has elegance written all over it. The oak maturation regime meant subtle handling in older French oak for just 8 months, allowing the delicate white stonefruit to be the hero. Laced … Read More
Matahiwi Holly South Series Chardonnay 2017
Matahiwi Holly South Series Chardonnay 2017 $33 The Holly South Series Chardonnay is from the southern Chardonnay planting in the ‘home’ vineyard at Matahiwi, just outside of Masterton. The vines were planted back in 2013 but it took 3 years before they were ready to produce enough fruit to make into a wine. So this … Read More
Montsable Languedoc Chardonnay 2015
Montsable Languedoc Chardonnay 2015 $24.95 With its bright lemon-gold hue and lifted grapefruity fragrance, this gorgeous French chardonnay from the Languedoc (long-wah-dock) region had me doing a happy dance as soon as I popped the cork (got your corkscrew handy?). Pronounced ‘mon-sah-blur,’ it’s a gently juicy little beauty that shows pings of pineapple and peach … Read More
Mills Reef Bespoke Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $34.95
Mills Reef Bespoke Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $34.95 I LOVE the burst of grilled grapefruit, poached peach, hints of struck match and tangy, smoky notes on the nose and a lovely complex, juicy, cashew and bacony loveliness. Fresh and fabulously funky, it’s a lipsmackingly good example. The team at Mills Reef are chardonnay nuts and it … Read More
Crossroads Milestone Series Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $17.50
Crossroads Milestone Series Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $17.50 A tangy, taut, trop-fest is about to hurl itself across your tastebuds. Think pineapple, mango, a lick of lemon and a grapefruity kick brings the citrus into gear which holds all the flavours buoyant in the mouth. A layer of toasted crumpet character indicates nicely managed oak … Read More
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 4 Sawcut Chardonnay 2015 $30 (4.5 stars)
Sourced from a vineyard located at the entrance to the limestone Sawcut Gorge in the south-of-Marlborough Ure Valley, this smart chardonnay from the team at Saint Clair is an absolute cracker. I don’t know how they could have crammed any more flavour into this bottle if they tried. Citrus-stacked, it hurls zesty minerality at you … Read More
Nockies Palette Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $36 (5stars)
Nockies Palette Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $36 (5stars) Butterscotch alert! I love the classic roasty, toasty, buttered crumpet character in this wine. Those flavours merge with grilled grapefruit, pineapple, a whiff of smoked stonefruit and spice. The acidity is fresh and frisky and absolutely forces the flavour to extremes. I love the complexity of this … Read More