Well and truly slipping back into the saddle, so to speak, as I get back into tasting mode after a rather pleasing break over the holiday season. There were a number of Chardonnays begging for my attention that I didn’t have time to taste pre-Christmas, so this column is a bit of a catch-up. This selection encompasses Central, Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay offerings as this is a grape variety that has found itself at home in every wine region across the length and breadth of the country. I may have been a bit stingy with a couple of my scores, so forgive me for that. McArthur Ridge Springvale Alexandra Chardonnay Price RRP $39.99 Rating Excellent Rather elegant, stonefruit, citrus, a smoky backdrop, spices and fine oak seasoning, peach later. Schisty nuances. Layers of fruit in the mouth, stonefruit, then apple, peach, freshly squeezed lime too. Nice balance and integration, some chewy tannins adding to the texture, with a long, cool, minerally- tinged finish. Young but already drinking very well. www.mcarthurridge.com 2022 Riverby Estate Single Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay Price RRP $28 Rating Excellent to outstanding Begins with fresh stonefruit notes and spice, shifting to tropical, white flowers and a hint of butterscotch/oak. Delightful richness on entry yet with poise and balance, again the tropical fruits, oatmeal, wisps of oak seasoning with fresh, citrusy acidity bring this to a vibrant close. The texture more creamy as it opens. Already drinkability but potential too. www.riverbyestate.com 2022 Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay Price RRP $24.99 Rating Very good to excellent Cooling qualities to the nose, stonefruits, rockmelon, flecks of toffee apple. The palate offers a nutty undercurrent with top notes of white peach and citrus. Youthful brightness, racy acidity, will be delightful with food on a warm summer’s day. Fleeting glimpses of gunflint appear, just ripe banana, with a tingly lip-smacking aspect on the fresh close. www.trinityhill.com 2022 Ruru Central Otago Chardonnay Price RRP $29 Rating Very good to excellent Initially some exotic characters here, orange sherbet, perhaps melon, evolving with aeration to more typical ripe peach, nutty elements, spices, butterscotch, light oak seasoning. Lemon and mandarin at first, flanked by nuts and white peach, brisk acidity portrays its youthful side with a hint of firmness. With time, clay and smoke on the nose, rounding out nicely; evolution to come. www.ruruwines.co.nz 2022 Trinity Hill 125 Gimblett Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay Price RRP $79.99 Rating Excellent to outstanding Nose gives the impression of sumptuousness, caraway, refined oak, ripe tropical fruits, creami ness, fragrance building with aeration. Power and depth of flavour, filling your mouth, countered by an electric jolt of acidity. Lovely carry of flavour. Not a ‘‘leap out of the glass’’ wine, but subtle depth, complexity and interest that quietly creeps up on you. Just lovely. www.trinityhill.com 2022 Church Road No 1 S V Tuki Tuki Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay Price RRP $120 Rating Outstanding Powerfully expressed nose, wisps of gunflint/ struck match, classy oak, a basket of tropical fruit, grilled nuts, clotted cream, smoke, lots going on. Oak-driven baking spices, ripe peach, creamy notes, powerful drive and totally mouth-filling. A refreshing sherbetty tanginess offers a lovely counterpoint to the richness. Endlessly long close, powerful and very smart wine. www.church-road.com
