Chardonnay is often passed over in favour of more fashionable white varieties like sauvignon blanc and pinot gris.
Certainly some are fairly boring, but there are some outstanding ones like the new Tom Chardonnay, Pernod Ricard's stablemate to its top-of-the-range Tom Bordeaux-style red.
With a really complex wine, a simple but perfect dish can be heaven - like North Otago new potatoes cooked with a sprig of mint and dressed in butter, sea salt and parsley.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations.
Te Mania Nelson Chardonnay 2008.
($19.99)
A light dry wine with a hint of zesty pineapple and white peach and a crisp, juicy finish.
- 3 stars (out of 5)
- Good value
Esk Valley Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2008.
(about $23)
This long-standing brand might have a new label but it continues to be excellent value.
Attractive aromas, with hints of pineapple, citrus and nectarines, a slightly biscuity, nutty undertone, and a crisp bright, mouthfilling intensity. Delicious.
- 4 stars (out of 5)
- Good value
(about $22)
Oodles of juicy fruit - tropical, golden peach, apples and pears, with an undertone of toasty nuts and oak.
- 3 stars (out of 5)
- Average value
(about $23)
At two years old, this is golden in colour, with hints of citrus and ripe pears supported by nutty, toasty oak and a suggestion of butterscotch and a dry finish.
Good drinking now but not for long keeping.
- 3 stars (out of 5)
- Average value
(about $34)
An understated wine, well balanced with a silky texture, restrained fruit, hints of nuts, a background of smoky oak and a suggestion of freshly-baked biscuits on the dry finish. Will develop with bottle age.
- 4 stars (out of 5)
- Average value
(about $70)
Tom is the label reserved for Pernod Ricard's best Hawkes Bay wine, and this is the first white to join the stylish red Tom.
It stands out not only for its complexity and texture but also its integration, harmony, length, and unput-downable charm - creamy, nutty, smoky oak, citrus, toast come to mind, also elegance, style and deliciousness.
- 5 stars (out of 5)
- Average value
($19.95)
A hint of toasted nuts and smoky bacon with ripe fruit, a suggestion of caramel and a zesty finish.
- 2 stars (out of 5)
(about $26)
There's a lot going on in this wine - suggestions of grapefruit and vanilla with background hints of butterscotch and golden syrup and toasty oak but balanced by a long, bright, delicious crisp finish.
- 3 stars (out of 5)
- Below average value
(about $20)
Unlike most fruit-driven unoaked chardonnay this is restrained and elegant, with a hint of mineral and a crisp, dry finish.
A good food wine to go with lightly cooked fish or a vegetable or chicken terrine or soup.
- 3 stars (out of 5)
- Good value
Two stars: simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars: good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars: very good wine with some outstanding characteristics; five stars: outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.
