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.

 

     

 

New Zealand Chardonnay

 No grape variety in New Zealand can match Sauvignon Blanc by volume, but when we talk quality, it is a different story. Here are four New Zealand Chardonnays from excellent producers.

Kumeu River, from the unlikely Auckland region, has been making outstanding Chardonnays for many years. The 2022 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay is continuing this 'tradition'. The wine delivers an elegant mouthfeel with a palate of stone fruit, melon, and peach. This wine delivers an excellent blend between body and acidity (95/++ points).

The 2022 Felton Road Block 2 Chardonnay has a lighter texture, very fine, with excellent oak integration. The finish is very long (95/++ points).

Quite expensive is the 2018 Bell Hill Chardonnay from North Canterbury. It is very interesting on the palate: Green apple fruit mixed with herbal and grassy notes. It is interesting, but not quite my favourite taste (94/+ points).  

I was a bit disappointed with the 2022 Neudorf Rosie's Block Amphora Chardonnay. The fruit profile is similar to the Kumeu River, but the wine is less precise, and the finish a little bland (91/0 points).

Ultra Premium New Zealand Pinot Noir Tasting

 Hot on the heals of the previous (slightly disappointing, from a New Zealand perspective) tasting comes another New Zealand Pinot Noir tasting, where some wines blew me away.

The star of the show, named after the winemaker and its inaugural release, was the 2020 Ata Rangi Masters Pinot Noir. It comes from a cool site 4km away from the home block. This is a very Burgundian wine with strawberry, pomegranate, and red cherry flavours. Earthy notes add to the complexity. The tannins are peppery and silky. This wine is superbly elegant with the seldom experienced expanding peacock fan on the finish. This wine will gain from some cellaring. It would give many grand cru a run for their (much more expensive) money (97/+++ points).

Another very impressive wine was the 2019 Burn Cottage 'Burn Cottage Vineyard' Pinot Noir from Central Otago. It delivers beautiful focused red and black cherry flavours, which seem to dance on the tongue. This is a smooth and elegant wine with a soft, perfumed, and slightly spicy finish (95/+++ points).

I also enjoyed a wine from 2015, of which I do not know anything. This was the 2015 Te Whare Ra SV5182 Pinot Noir from Marlborough. This red cherry flavoured wine is still fresh. It is an elegant wine of medium concentration (94/++ points).

A more intense wine with a big mouthfeel is the 2017 Prophet's Rock Cuvée aux Antipodes Pinot Noir. This is a complex wine with dark cherry and mocca flavours. While impressive, it felt a little overworked and slightly out of balance. And twice the price of the Ata Rangi? I don't think so (93/++ points). 

On 92 points were the final three wines: the 2013 Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Pinot Noir (a bit fruity, but sophisticated elegance); the 2020 Pyramid Valley Korimako Pinot Noir (very aromatic, quite light, mouthfeel a bit too round); 2021 Craggy Range Aroha Pinot Noir (quite fruity, elegant, but mouthfeel a bit flat).

These wines showed the complexity and elegance I was missing from the New Zealand wines in the last tasting. Having said this, there is no change from a $100 note for these wines. In some cases quite a bit more.

Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir

Pyramid Valley is a special winery. When the vineyard was originally planted, it was meant to mirror Burgundy in the southern hemisphere. The vineyard is isolated in North Canterbury, on slopes and rocky limestone soil. The vine planting is dense; the principles are biodynamic. As a result of all this, the wines are expensive.

The 2012 Pyramid Valley Angel Flower Pinot Noir is certainly more Burgundy than Central Otago, and more Pommard than Vosne-Romanée, meaning it is a very savoury wine. Dark fruited sour cherry characteristics are added to by herbal and spicy flavours. It tasted like a cool climate wine. This Pinot Noir is more about drive than elegance. Firm, grippy tannins lead to a decent finish. 

Score: 94/++