A wine from a small family producer in Matakana, north of Auckland – the Yakutin family originally from Kazakhstan – a country with a history of wine going back over centuries. A pale golden straw colour in the glass. Not your typical bouquet of Chardonnay, with lots of savoury notes across the fragrance. Soy and salt & vinegar chips come to mind, but linger and swirl, to get plenty of ripe peach, quince, mandarin and lemon curd fruit as well. Slightly oxidative and smoky too as you dive into the palate, where a zesty acidity takes over. The savoury elements keep coming, with green olive, popcorn and nori. Quite dry and pithy at the finish. 89pts
Yakutin Black Walnut Chardonnay 2019
