A wine from a Marlborough producer who has had a lot of critical success with their Chardonnays. Very aromatic, with a waft of smoky flint and struck match reductivity, over white peach, lemon, ginger, grapefruit and cashew nut. Crystalline acidity starts off brightly, with more citrus and stonefruit flavours carried directly through the palate. Warmer tones of baking spice, apple pie are tempered by cooler notes of crushed shell and green herbs. It is well-weighted and quite refined. I’d expect this to develop further with cellaring – it already shows great poise and detail. A clean, persistent finish. 93pts
Isabel Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2020
