This tasting turned up some expensive but delicious
chardonnays, the best having a few years bottle age.
Cellaring is always worthwhile with a carefully made
chardonnay as they develop wonderful tertiary characters
undreamed of in a simpler, younger wine.
BEST VALUE
Morton Estate Black Label Hawkes Bay Chardonnay
2009
$35
Four stars
Average value
At three years old this is a lively wine with a lot going on
- tropical and stone fruit, rich creamy flavours with hints
of toasted nuts and spicy oak and a crisp lingering finish
with a creamy aftertaste.
www.mortonestate.co.nz
BEST VALUE
Villa Maria Taylors Pass Marlborough Chardonnay
2007
$37
Four stars
Average value
Well integrated and harmonious at five years old, with an
attractive pungency, suggestions of citrus and creme brulee,
spicy toasted nuts and a crisp, dry, but textural finish. A
delicious wine with a definite personality
www.villamaria.co.nz
Wither Hills Marlborough Wairau Valley Chardonnay
2011
$22
Three stars
Average value
A young wine with a hint of dust and nuts, with underlying
juicy citrus and a tight, crisp finish.
www.witherhills.co.nz
Riverby Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2010
$27
Three stars
Average value
A hint of stewed apple and peach with a suggestion of nuts
and toasty oak, this is a light wine with a crisp finish.
www.riverbyestate.com
Osawa Prestige Collection Hawkes Bay Chardonnay
2010
$45
Four and a half stars
Average value
An exotic hint of spice and tropical fruit, pineapple and
grapefruit, a soft silky texture and undertones of nuts and
lightly toasted oak meld seamlessly in this wine, which
finishes with a well-balanced, lingering, creamy aftertaste.
A fine wine, harmonious, refined and already drinking
deliciously.
www.osawawines.co.nz
Craggy Range Les Beaux Cailloux Gimblett Gravels
Chardonnay 2010
$63
Four stars
Below average value
It would be infanticide to drink this tight young wine for
another couple of years. Restrained stone fruit and pineapple
with an underlying minerality are supported by a lovely
undertone of creamy nuts and a dry finish with an aftertaste
that lingers for minutes. It promises much, but give another
three to eight years to allow it to show its true potential.
www.craggyrange.co.nz
ANOTHER GLASS
Church Road McDonald Series Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2011
$33
Three and a half stars
Below average value
The inaugural release of the McDonald Series chardonnay, this
oozes spicy oak and creamynuts, with a rich hint of marzipan,
stonefruit and mineral, and finishes a crisp, lingering
aftertaste.
www.churchroad.co.nz
• Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate
preconceptions, all wine tastingand evaluation is subjective.
These are personal recommendations.
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