Blackenbrook Nelson Chardonnay 2020 $26 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Gougere – cheesy puffs in the August 5th 2023 NZ Herald Can’t you just imagine yourself arriving (via Citröen) to your French countryside villa in the afternoon to the smell of these cheesy pastries and the clink of a glass of white Burgundy being handed to … Read More
Chardonnay
Te Kairanga Runholder Martinborough Chardonnay 2022
Te Kairanga Runholder Martinborough Chardonnay 2022 $35 LOVING this new chardonnay from the team at Te Kairanga. Named after the name given to Martinborough’s founder John Martin, who ran a sheep farm on the land where Te Kairanga now stands. Back in the day, he was known as a ‘runholder’ and I’ve gotta say, with … Read More
Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Chardonnay 2022
Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Chardonnay 2022 $21-26 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Gougere – French cheese Puffs from Bourgogne in the NZ Herald July 29th 2023 I love French cheese puffs so much I think they could easily qualify for my last supper. And I love rich, butterscotchy, toasty chardonnay so much, I’ve asked that they … Read More
Bendigo Hills Organic Central Otago Chardonnay 2022
Bendigo Hills Organic Central Otago Chardonnay 2022 $36 Crafted from fruit grown in their Trig Hill Vineyard, this organic chardonnay is handpicked, whole-bunch pressed, and gently fermented in French oak (50% new barrels) with wild yeasts to inject depth, generosity and a pang of punk spirit. Prepare for peaches and cream, a hint of grapefruit … Read More
Black Cottage Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
Black Cottage Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $18 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Celebration Salmon pie in the NZ Herald July 15th 2023 Chardonnay is 100% my go-to for anything salmony. There’s just something about the clean, peachy, citrus-laced characters in chardonnay which snuggle up to salmon sensationally well. This new release from Black Cottage has classic … Read More
Pask Gimblett Gravels Declaration Chardonnay 2020
Pask Gimblett Gravels Declaration Chardonnay 2020 $40 Paired with: Annabel Langbein’s Leeks with Honey Mustard dressing in the NZ Herald Sat July 8th 2023 Now you may ask, why would I drop fourty dollars on something that I’m only going to sip with some dressed leeks? And I would answer that these aren’t just any … Read More
Shield Nelson Chardonnay 2021
Shield Nelson Chardonnay 2021 Classic stonefruit aromatics with a hint of grilled grapefruit lead to a robust, toast-edged palate, roast almonds and baked peach characters in the mid-palate. Fresh yet comforting, with warming alcohol and it has a dried herb edge on the finish.
Ara Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Ara Marlborough Chardonnay 2022 $16-$25 Paired with: Annabel Langbein’s Salmon Noodle Bowl in NZ Herald Canvas July 1 2023 Salmon and Chardonnay go together like Sonny and Cher, like Kylie and Jason, like Art and Matilda. Yet as soon as you pair the silky, peachy, softly-toasty tones of Ara’s new release with the fleshy, slipperiness … Read More
Chateau Garage Lyons Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
Chateau Garage Lyons Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $50 Many winemakers call themselves ‘garagistes’ these days because they do things on a small scale. However I’ve been inside Ollie Powrie’s tiny, old-as-the-hills garden shed, where he makes his wines, and there is literally no room to swing, well anything really. Arms could almost stretch from … Read More
Mora Central Otago Chardonnay 2022
Mora Central Otago Chardonnay 2022 $45 Central Otago chardonnay has its own signature and I’m a total convert. Crafted from a blend of Mendoza-clone and own-rooted Clone 6 fruit grown on 28yo vines in their Eden Vineyard in the Pisa sub-region. A full malolactic fermentation has injected a soft, creamy, cashew character which washes across … Read More