CHARDONNAY

Chardonnay had previously moved away from big, buttery styles and towards a skinny, lean, unoaked style that was clean, but often uninspiring. More recently, winemakers have replaced oak with a “flinty” reduction, resulting in a scent that resembles struck matches at its best and burnt tires or onions at its worst. New Zealand is replete with styles that are fresh and clean with just the right level of flint, in a spectrum of styles. The wines below are organised from most delicate to most robust.

Sam Harrop Cedalion SV Chardonnay “Jomara” 2019

Sam Harrop MW left London in 2013 for the enclave of Waiheke island, where he has been making subtle, nuanced singlevineyard chardonnay and syrah ever since. Cedalion is his top range and though 2019 won’t be released for some time, I was already delighted with the Jomara’s biscuity, almost malty aroma and ethereal palate laced with orange oil, sea spray and a clicky, chalky texture.

Kumeu River Maté’s Vineyard 2018

Under the leadership of Michael Brajkovich MW, Kumeu is becoming a badly kept secret and the global wine of choice for befuddling white Burg lovers. With an acidity and texture like shards of glass and aromas of just ripe nectarine swathed in a zephyr of smoke, the tension and energy in this wine are unparalleled. By comparison, the tightly wound spring that is the 2012 vintage has just started to uncoil and deliver rich tones of peach, yellow apple and sandalwood. The texture has melted slightly, slipping joyfully over the palate.

Villa Maria Keltern Chardonnay

While Villa Maria is wellknown for Marlborough sauvignon blanc, its single-vineyard chardonnay, Keltern, is an indisputable superstar, yet nowhere near as ubiquitous. It is remarkably poised and retains its sheen well into its 12th year. A taste of the 2019, cedary and resinous, reveals grapefruit and Meyer lemon harmoniously married with the oak in a beautiful, precise structure. The 2017’s vanilla cream nose gives way to lemon rind and white florals— very pretty, powdery fruit surrounds a savoury core, and the finish is pure and cleansing. The 2010 has a nose that is dense and buttery with hints of kerosene, lemongrass and beeswax, and a back that has a notable phenolic grip but with clean, lemony fruit. The oldest, from 2009, has grown briny, deep and smoky, the fruit darkened into preserved lemons and amber, its acidity mellowed and rounded over time.

Blank Canvas “Escaroth” Chardonnay 2019

New Zealand’s newest Master of Wine, ex-solicitor Sophie Parker-thomson, has been making smallbatch wines from Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough with her husband Matt since 2013, but this is her first vintage of this single-vineyard chardonnay. Putting paid to the outdated notion that female winemakers make “feminine” wine styles, Escaroth is declamatory and bold with burnished, golden fruit and buttered brioche held aloft by a fine net of acidity.