Thinking back to this year’s visit, I realised that other than a couple of barrel samples, there were no Chardonnays from Central tasted, with examples from Marlborough, Gisborne, Margaret River and Chablis in France featuring. I’ve put that right today with a grouping of mostly Central wines that reminded me what I’d missed.
2021 Martinborough Vineyards Home Block Martinborough Chardonnay
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
Tangy brightness to this,
fruit pastille, citrus, stone
fruits, classy oak adding
spice. Quite a structured
style, chewy grip, a mix
of white and yellow fruits,
toffee apple, sweet fruit
yet tangy zestiness, a
backdrop of cashew nut.
Deceptive, fine-boned
style that doesn’t leap out
at you, but shows its
class as it grows with
time.
www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz
2020 Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Lowburn Valley Chardonnay
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
Classic struck match
reductive notes, ripe
fruits sashaying
between stone &
tropical, a perfume note,
clotted cream, refined
oak. Rather beguiling.
The palate more taut &
structured than the nose
suggests, grainy,
powerfully citrusy with a
refreshing sweet/sour
interplay on the close.
Builds fleshiness and
complexity over time,
long carry, super wine.
2022 Rockburn Central Otago Chardonnay
Rating Excellent
Nicely expressive & ripely fruited,
nectarine & melon,
nutty characters, spice,
a little toffee backdrop.
Again the palate shows
grainy chewiness and
tautness at first, nutty
aspects evident, lime
citrus overlaid on the
stone fruits, while the
bright acid backbone
keeps this nice and
lively. Develops lovely
creaminess yet
retaining an attractive
cool quality.
2020 Domaine Rewa Central Otago Chardonnay
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
Flecks of fruit sherbet, then wisps of
struck match, citrus, the
fruit neatly in support. A
whisper shy, but classy.
The palate brimming
with flavour, lovely
mouthfeel and weight,
while maintaining a
refreshingly cool
quality. Nutty, spices,
perhaps a little mineral,
this is all about the
balance and integration.
A wine that you want to
return to.
2019 Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Lowburn Valley Chardonnay
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Fascinating smoke and
wild yeast nuances
shifting to nutty
characters, a little
wildness, teasing out
greengage plum &
grapefruit. A bit of an
iron/stony mineral
quality gives a cooling
vein, while there’s nice
texture and a citrusy
close. Understated
perhaps, but quietly
fascinating — I’m left
wanting to delve into
this a bit more.
2022 Mora Central Otago Chardonnay
Rating Excellent
A nutty/straw/wheat-like note leads,
melon, citrus, white peach, a curl of
smoke, swelling
with aeration. Great
flavour intensity,
depth, vibrancy &
energy flowing to a
long close. Ripe fruit
picking up hints of
dried pineapple and
citrus, yet always
retaining juicy
freshness. Showing
its youthful vibrancy
with some fine,
drying tannins, but
already drinking very
nicely.
