Chardonnay, by comparison, is always a vintage or two "behind" as it usually spends some time fermenting and/or maturing in some form of oak.
This sees a mix of 2018s and 2019s on show today, and a very fine collection they turned out to be.
2018 Ka Tahi
Rangatira Reserve
Hawke’s Bay
Chardonnay
Price: $28.95
Rating: Excellent
Appealing nose, subtly
perfumed with nutty elements
and bready/biscuity notes,
growing and gaining a steely/
mineral nuance as it opens.
A creamy/sour cream note
leads the palate, an
undercurrent of citrus too,
flavour depth without
being bombastic.
Youthfully taut, showing
lovely freshness and
potential too.
2018 Riverby Estate
Single Vineyard
Marlborough
Chardonnay
Price: $27
Rating: Excellent to
outstanding
Struck match, bonfire smoke,
an earthy wildness to this.
Tropical fruits lead, an
interplay between
pineapple, mango and
peach with snappy
lemony notes coursing
through the wine. Its
youthful zinginess would
marry well with oily fish
or creamy pasta. Grows
in the glass, moving to
orange citrus. Freshness,
lift and a long close.
2019 Kahurangi Estate
Mt Arthur Reserve
Nelson
Chardonnay
Price: $29.95
Rating: Excellent
Honey, hay, sour cream,
biscuity nuances. A taut and
structured palate sees this
slow out of the blocks
texture wise, but grows
nicely with aeration. The
palate mixes stonefruits,
sour cream and hay/
straw, adding notes of
peach and fresh
pineapple over time.
Fattens nicely, firm
chewiness and brisk acid
countered by lovely
fleshiness.
2019 Ka Tahi
The One
Hawke’s Bay
Chardonnay
Price: $15 (cellar door)
Rating: Very good to
excellent
Just-ripe banana, sweet
perfume, vanilla pod,
smoky notes, too. Tight,
with zingy acidity, playing
in the sweet ‘n’ sour
spectrum before offering
nectarine, banana and
caramel/nutty nuances.
A youthful wine, and
while this continues to
grow it maintains an
attractive coolness,
lifted by the citrus and
nutty notes on the close.
2018 Church Road
Grand Reserve
Hawke’s Bay
Chardonnay
Price: $39.99
Rating: Outstanding
Matchstick, wood smoke,
ripe peach, refined oak.
Creamy, textural entry,
then the underlying
structure and acidity kick
in. Nice balance and
integration but somewhat
reserved at first. Aeration
totally transforms this,
the fruit swells,
complexity builds and it
develops a seamlessness
before the long, long
finish. Superb, and lovely
drinking.
2019 Kahurangi Estate
Chardonnay
Price: $21.99
Rating: Very good to excellent
An intriguing piquancy shifts
to warm bread and biscuity
notes, the fruit in support.
Power in the mouth, bran
biscuit and tropical fruits
melding sweetness with
refreshing sour notes.
Nice texture, a dry, nutty
and biscuity finish hangs
in the mouth. The nose
becomes more subtle but
there’s a roundness and
richness that has lots of
appeal.
