REVIEW: Chardonnnay's charm, complexity comes with age

Good chardonnay may be delicious in the first year or two after it's bottled, but give it another couple of years bottle age and it can develop even more charm, mellowness and complexity that keep you coming back for another sip.

It's good to see some winemakers, such as Forrest and Black Estate, release their chardonnay with a couple of years age.

If you don't cellar your own chardonnays, it's well worth trying on one of these slightly older wines to see just how a year or so's bottle age will allow it to mellow and develop complexities.

Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz

Forrest Marlborough Chardonnay 2005 (about $22) This is drinking beautifully. There are overtones of citrus and stone fruit, but the wine has developed complexity and charm, melding bright fruit, understated oak and a crisp, lingering finish into a focused, stylish whole.

4 stars (out of 5)

Stoneleigh Marlborough Chardonnay 2007 (about $22) is delicious, with hints of citrus, ripe peaches and tropical fruit. Restrained oak allows the fruit to shine, and in the background a nutty undertone develops into a lingering, satisfying aftertaste.

4 stars (out of 5)

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Matahiwi Unoaked Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2007 (about $18) is a simple wine, with bright fruit, round in the mouth and crisp on the finish. Unoaked chardonnays are often easier to match with food than big, nutty chardonnays.

3 stars (out of 5)

Tuki Tuki Road Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2007 (about $20) will appeal to those who like oaky chardonnay. It oozes toast, vanilla, toffee and nuts, with stone fruit in the background.

3 stars (out of 5)

Mahi Twin Valleys Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2006 (about $30) oozes stylish, toasty oak and spicy, nutty overtones and a mealy texture, but it's well-handled and in harmony with the underlying intensity of fruit. A delicious wine that will develop with further bottle age.

4 stars (out of 5)

Black Estate Waipara Chardonnay 2004 (about $30) at four years old, this has developed lovely complexities - there are still suggestions of citrus and stone fruit, but mellowed nuttiness and smoky undertones and an intense crisp, lingering finish show its class.

4 stars (out of 5)

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