B & B Big and Buttery Barrel Fermented California Chardonnay 2021 $20-$22 Totally living up to its name, this is a California classic that’ll definitely appeal to lovers of an old-school, oaky, butterscotchy style. Showing a smoky element from the French oak barrels used combined with a vein of vanilla from a proportion of American … Read More
Chardonnay
Matawhero Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2021
Matawhero Barrel Fermented Gisborne Chardonnay 2021 $31 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Roasted cauliflower and blue cheese soup in the NZ Herald CANVAS magazine Sat June 17th 2023 What to do when two of your favourite things present themselves in one dish? Add one more right! One of the great wonders of the modern age is … Read More
Pyramid Valley Springs North Canterbury Chardonnay 2020
Pyramid Valley Springs North Canterbury Chardonnay 2020 $85 Part of their new ‘Pastures’ collection (which replaces the original appellation series developed by founders Claudia and the late Mike Weersing), it’s crafted from organically farmed, own-rooted, 40+ yo vines, the oldest chardonnay vines in the area. And it’s stunning stuff. Why? Because from the second you … Read More
Two Rivers Clos Des Pierres Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Two Rivers Clos Des Pierres Marlborough Chardonnay 2022 $30 Crafted from Mendoza, Clone 15 and B95 fruit grown in their Spring and Hawkesbridge vineyards that was wild fermented then aged for 8 months in French oak and given a full malolactic ferment, this chardonnay is a deliciously clean, youthful, saline-laced, and citrus stacked style. Elongated … Read More
Pegasus Bay VIRTUOSO Chardonnay 2019
Pegasus Bay VIRTUOSO Chardonnay 2019 $65 I love the way this wine smells of popcorn, bacon, grilled grapefruit and roasted peaches drizzled in vanilla and butterscotch sauce. It’s so fresh, energetic and vibrantly nutty. A Virtuoso chardonnay is only attempted in exceptional years, from a selection of Mat Donaldson’s best barrels produced from fruit grown … Read More
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021 $34 This Chardonnay is a cracker. Boasting incredible freshness and stonefruit intensity laced with attractively balanced oak and zesty citrus textures on the finish. Crafted by winemaker Hugh Crichton and his team, this chardonnay is made mostly from Elephant Hill’s ‘Sea’ vineyard on the Te Awanga coastline, just metres … Read More
Rockburn Central Otago Chardonnay 2022
Rockburn Central Otago Chardonnay 2022 $32 Central Otago is one of the harshest environments to grow grapes. Inland, mountainous and with almost no humidity, very low organic matter in the soils, weather extremes like you wouldn’t believe and crazy people who insist on hurling themselves off bridges and out of helicopters and into half-pipes on … Read More
Two Rivers The Spring Marlborough Chardonnay 2020
Two Rivers The Spring Marlborough Chardonnay 2020 $55 Crafted from 30yo Mendoza clone vines, this wine is one of the most hands-off styles that winemaker Dave Clouston and his team create. A teensy bit cloudy due to it not being fined or filtered (another excellent thing), this chardonnay erupts with grilled stonefruit intensity, scorched oak … Read More
The Landing Bay of Islands Chardonnay 2021
The Landing Bay of Islands Chardonnay 2021 $44 If there’s a postcode for Happy Place then this bottle has my digits on it. Crafted by Ben Byrne and Warren Gibson, this rich, incredibly expressive hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, French oak-fermented example showcases deliciously structured citrus and stonefruit through grapefruit and nectarine nuances, a core of caramelised, … Read More
Jules Taylor Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Jules Taylor Marlborough Chardonnay 2022 $25 Classic JT chardonnay here, rolling in citrus and saturated with creamy stonefruit notes on the nose and palate. Refreshing, juicy and laced with nougat and caramelised spicy tones, it’s a smooth, soothing, slightly toasty style that’ll win friends and influence people. Grown in Marlborough’s Southern Valley’s sub-region, and crafted … Read More