Recent long, warm evenings are crying out for a bit more barbecue action and I do rather like bubbles or rose while I’m cooking, but hanker for something fuller bodied to go with the robust flavours of the food.
On the white front, chardonnay can certainly fit the bill, while generous reds of almost any style will cut the mustard.
Keeping it all Kiwi today!
2018 Brennan
Gibbston chardonnay
Price: $35
Rating: Very good to excellent
Delightful fragrance,
grape/musk, subtle oak
nuances, nothing juts out
here. Sweetly fruited
entry, spice and citrus
notes with a touch of
sour cream. Adds
char/charcoal
elements, nutty
nuances with a tangy
note running through
to the finish. With
aeration this
develops quite
quickly, so one to
drink now, rather
than a keeper, I
suspect.
2019 Scout
Southern Valleys
Marlborough chardonnay
Price: $36
Rating: Excellent to
outstanding
Smoke, warm baguette, a
savoury/umami
influence, subtle
stonefruit and peach
with a wisp of salinity.
Delightful freshness
and crispness to the
palate marrying
tropical fruit,
preserved lemon and
nutty nuances. Lovely
integration, there’s a
completeness to this
offering drinkability
now yet with potential
too.
2016 Lake Chalice
Plume
Marlborough chardonnay
Price: $49.99
Rating: Excellent
Hints of struck match,
butterscotchy oak,
creamy malo notes and
smoke. At first, a
youthful edginess, hints
of banana and rough
sawn timber backed
by good flavour
intensity and depth.
With air this kicks
into another gear,
developing creamy
richness, building
significantly in depth
and coming into a
really lovely place to
enjoy. A real improver.
2017 Black Cottage
Hawke’s Bay merlot
cabernet
Price: $17
Rating: Very good to
excellent
Dusty stones, spices, ripe
blackberry and mixed
berries. Vibrant medium-
weight palate with
berryfruit to the fore,
juicy, bright, a little
sour cherry tanginess
developing with
aeration. Good tannic
structure
underpinning this
would work well with
food. The fruit hangs
on the long, dry
close. Super value for
money.
2018 Ngatarawa
Glazebrook Black Label
Hawke’s Bay merlot
cabernet
Price: $35
Rating: Excellent
Darker fruited, richer
nose, liqueur fruits, oak
spices/cloves, a hint
of tea leaf later.
Medium to full-
bodied with excellent
fruit intensity and
depth of flavour,
nicely balanced
tannins. Aeration
adds charcuterie/
savoury nuances,
with a little leaf on
the finish. Nice
balance and
complexity.
2016 Thyme Hill
Central Otago merlot
Price: $35
Rating: Very good to excellent
Dusty gravel, mixed wild
& dried herbs, fruit cake
and dark fruits, oak
spices with time. A light
to medium weight
style that has a
crunchy, playful,
almost Beaujolais-
like quality to it. Plum
and berries lie at the
core with dried herbs
and tea-leaf, flowing
to a lightly charry
finish. Some youthful
sappiness adds to
the appeal. An
interesting alternative
to Central pinot.
