Gone are the days of ABC – Anything But Chardonnay – and New Zealand Chardonnays are making a real splash on the international stage. At a tasting in London in early October the great wine critic Jancis Robinson declared NZ Chardonnays some of the best in the world and beating many wines from Burgundy – the French home of Chardonnay.
Chardonnay is a chameleon! The sometimes austere, mineral-focussed wines of Chablis are very different from the huge buttery, oaky styles of California. This big style was also common in both New Zealand and Australia till relatively recently. And many people still enjoy the buttery creaminess that happens when the wine goes through malolactic fermentation. Here the malic acid is converted to lactic acid – hence the buttery flavour – it’s the same acid found in milk products. However the process also softens Chardonnay’s famously acidic character.
Modern New Zealand Chardonnay tends to be more fruit-forward than the style of Chablis or white Burgundies. Expect to taste white stone fruit, especially peach but also lots of citrus – lemon curd, pink grapefruit and citrus peel.
Wines from the Hawkes Bay tend to have more generous fruit. If you like your Chardonnay big then you will like Hawkes Bay! The sunshine means you will also probably taste some melon and riper peach flavours. These wines have often seen some time in oak which lends them flavours of vanilla and sometimes a little nuttiness, especially as they age. Chardonnay is a white wine which ages very well and Hawkes Bay wines are definitely ones you can both enjoy now but also pop away for a few years to see how they develop.
Wines from the Auckland region – for example the award winning Chardonnays of Kumeu River – are much more like Chablis; and sometimes described as tasting of wet stone!
Marlborough produces wines with much greener characteristics – nectarine, green apple and sometimes a quality that’s a little like struck flint. In Central Otago the cooler climate emphasises the citrus, producing very elegant wines with a chalky, mineral quality.
Chardonnay is always very food friendly. The high acid and citrus tang are great with a range of foods. Try a big, fruit-forward Chardonnay with a roast chicken or with roast pork. In both cases the big flavours work well and the acid helps cut through the fat. And don’t chill the life out of your Chardonnay, especially if it has seen some oak. The recommendation is 11-12 degrees so take that bottle out of the fridge 20 minutes before you plan to pour it – only keep it on ice if you are outside in the sun!
