Catalina Sounds ‘Sound of White’ Chardonnay 2023

A Chardonnay from Marlborough, and winner of the Champion Chardonnay Trophy at NZIWS this year. A very pale lemon-green colour in the glass. The perfume is complex and plush, with a touch of flinty reductivity, then ripe stonefruit and citrus, coconut, cashew nut and oat biscuit. Medium to full-bodied, with a zesty acidity keeping the flavours turning over and giving length through the palate. Baking spice, tarragon, salted caramel and grapefruit pith flit in and out as a creamy texture envelops the back of the palate. Good persistence to the dry finish. 94pts