Premium New Zealand Chardonnays

New Zealand Chardonnay is nothing like Australian Chardonnay. A closer comparison could be made with Napa Valley, although this is hard as well, as there are so many different styles in both regions. In general,  premium New Zealand Chardonnay is often quite rich (get away from the Sauvignon Blanc image?), and flavours are often stone fruit based as opposed to the citrus profile of the majority of Australian Chardonnay. The other day, I tasted four interesting examples. 

  

The first wine was the 2021 Tony Bish Skeetfield Chardonnay from Hawkes Bay. Tony Bish is a leading figure of the area, known for modern experimentation. He is biodynamic, likes ceramic eggs, you get the picture. 60% new French oak is applied as well. This Chardonnay is opulent and rich, with yellow peach and buttery flavours, and a creamy mouthfeel. No doubt he uses 100% malolactic fermentation. Despite this richness, this wine achieves some elegance on top of its mild acidity (94 points).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The second Chardonnay is the 2021 Church Road Tom Chardonnay, also from Hawkes Bay. Wow! This wine makes an entry. It is incredibly smoky on the nose - a huge salvo of gun powder. On the palate, it is not different. This is another very opulent wine. It was not clear if the gun powder flavours are the result of the oak treatment or sulphur. It did not change in the glass. Would the smoke reduce with age? Hard to say. I have never tasted a wine as flinty as this. Below the flint, there is some banana and cream, but it is not what this wine is about (90 points).

The third wine is the 2020 Pyramid Valley Chardonnay from North Canterbury. The original international owners settled on this special location after a 15 year search in 2000. The vineyard they planted is at high altitude, very rocky, with vines planted in groups on the site. 

However, this wine comes from three vineyards going back to 1982 (the oldest Chardonnay vineyard in the country). The wine has been on lees for a full year and is matured in 25% new oak.

This is a very balanced wine, with floral aromatics and honeysuckle flavours building an attractive mouthfeel. The wine is quite ripe, yet retains freshness. The creamy aspects are due to the winemaking and lead to a rounded texture. Saline acidity delivers a lifting finish (94 points).

The final wine in this line-up is the 2013 Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay from Nelson. This is a tropical and rich wine, quite oily and buttery. The wine is complex, with stone fruits, such as mango and peach complimented by hazelnut and biscuit flavours. The wine still feels quite young after 11 years. I found there was a bit too much going on in this compote of flavours (92 points).                                                                                                                                                                                             Overall, these wines provided a fascinating mix of flavours and techniques.