Church Road Chardonnay 2016

Church Road Chardonnay 2016

As I review wines, there’s a tendency to seek out ‘the best’. I want to find those great wines produced in New Zealand and present them to you, with my thoughts for the amazing glassfuls that you could be trying from across the country. As such, it’s an easy mistake to be a step removed from the wines that people buy any day of the week at the local shop, supermarket or liquor store. So with that in mind, this weekend I turned to a wine I haven’t tasted in a couple of years – although this is one I’ve been cellaring. I last had this a couple of years ago, in a restaurant where wine clearly wasn’t a priority, and it seemed like a safe haven of an option.

A golden straw colour with just a hint of green. Perfumed with peach, mandarin, vanilla and roasted hazelnut. Generous layers of flavour with pear and melon, savoury notes of sweetcorn, crusty bread and tarragon. Toasty oak and a falling, but still bright, acidity (it is four years in bottle) are nicely in balance. Creamily textured, and the finish is lingering, with a sweet nougat and butterscotch finish. 91pts. Quite complex and structured – considering it is an entry level wine for this varietal at Church Road.

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