Kumeu

One of the truly GREAT Chardonnays in the world.  This is very young right now, but still showed quite well.  Light gold in color with a bit of a green hue, clear and  bright.  The nose is great with lemons, slight pineapple, and spices.  Full bodied.  Energetic.  Great acidity.  On the palate, this is crisp and delicious.  Pineapple, slight vanilla and spice.  Long finish.  This took and hour or so to really open.  It could use another five to ten years in the cellar, but no real harm opening now.  Drink over the  next twenty years.  Great on its own but better with food.  This will work w

Another wonderful Chardonnay from this producer in New Zealand.  These are world class Chardonnays.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  Enticing nose of char/smoke with grapefruit and great minerality.  Medium to full bodied.  Sleek but muscular texture.  On the palate, this is very concentrated, but unwinds in the glass.  Citrus; yellow grapefruits with some lemon/lime notes but also great underlying minerality.  Perfect balance.  Long finish.  While this could certainly use a few more years of cellaring, it is delicious now.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Great on its own, this will

Another excellent world class Chardonnay from this New Zealand producer. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is very nice with lemons, slight peach and slight tropical fruit. Medium bodied. Crisp. On the palate, this is young but plenty of depth. Lemon and peaches with some minerality. Long finish. This is drinking well now but should improve a bit. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years. Great on its own, this will work well with lobster.

Really one of the best Chardonnay's in the world and a great value (although not inexpensive).  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemons and slight peach with just a bit of minerality.  Very tight.  On the palate, this is delicious.  More peach with some lemon tartness and underlying minerality.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This has a deep complexity to it.  Still has ten to fifteen years left of great drinking.  It drinks great on its own and would be a nice with seafood such as Tuna. 

One of the great Chardonnay's anywhere!  Screw capped.  Light gold/green in color.  Great nose with minerality, lemons, slight vanilla and a hint of pears.  Medium to full bodied.  Crisp and clean.  Refreshing and delicious.  This took maybe 30 minutes to open and then kept opening all night long.  The palate had lemons, lots of minerality and a sort of "poached pears in vanilla sauce only crisper quality".  Lots of depth.  Long finish.  This bottle is still on the young side but drinking great.  It will continue to do so for another ten to twelve years.  Drinks great on its own, this worke

Wow.  Even better than the spectacular Hunting Hill!  Still quite young, but with some air, this is wonderful.  Light golden in color.  The nose has lemons, slight citrus, a hint of mineral and tons of minerality.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is big and rich, but then it has so much zing that cuts right thru it.  Layers of complexity.  Grapefruit and lemons over minerals.  Slight green apple on the finish.  This should continue to develop for another five to ten and then drink well for another ten to twelve after that.  It drinks great on its own but will work well with sea food or ev

Another from this top producer of Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with lemon curd, slight pineapple and minerality.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is crisp and energetic.  The lemon curd comes thru but also some lemon candy with underlying minerality.  Long finish.  This is delicious but also the kind of wine that makes one take notice.  Still young with a great vibrancy, this easily should continue maturing for the next dozer or so years.  Great on its own, this will work well with lighter foods and even heavier sea food or fowl dishes

I have been on a kick this summer trying the wines from this winery.  This is their least expensive Chardonnay.  This is a crisp Chardonnay that see no new oak and only 25% used French oak.  Light golden in color.  The nose is pretty with slight tropical fruits/melon but more lemon/lime notes and nice minerality.  Medium bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, the minerality leads followed by a nice peachy quality and a bit of lemon.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and should be very versatile with all but the heaviest or lightest foods.  It should probably be consumed over the

What a superb Chardonnay.  This is still a bit on the younger side, but drinking very well.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean and delightful.  Minerals with lemons and just a hint of Meyer lemon and an herbal note.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is crisp with excellent acidity.  Minerals galore.  Layers of complexity unwind in the glass.  A bit of lemon pith especially on the finish.  This is great now on its own and will work with all sorts of food.  Baked seafood would be a great choice.  It should continue to improve for the next seven to ten years and be

This is the middle level bottling from this superb winery in New Zealand.  Although New Zealand is not normally known for Chardonnay this wine makes spectacular bottlings especially their single vineyard offerings.  Pale silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with nice minerality and slight grapefruit.  On the palate, this is clean and very lively.