Chardonnay still on our horizon

BY DEBORAH WALTON AND PETER MORICE

It was great to hear Janey Walsh, co-owner of Bouldevines, say chardonnay is her favourite wine. As we've said before, the variety has taken a back seat to other more fashionable tipples over recent years – and that's a shame.

Bouldevines, a boutique family-owned Marlborough vineyard, has recently released Bouldevines 2008 Chardonnay and, lucky us, we were invited to try it.

Janey and Philip Walsh have a long history of growing grapes in Marlborough. They started out as contract growers some 30 years ago, establishing a vineyard on part of the Dog Point Rd property first settled by their family in 1935. After Philip suffered a debilitating accident in 1984 they turned adversity into advantage and decided to release their own wines and secure their future on the land. Janey says that by launching their own single-vineyard Bouldevines label, she knew that one of the varieties would have to be chardonnay.

As the name suggests the vineyard is on the old Omaka River flats and as such, is studded with boulders – it's a hallmark of some of the best grape-growing land in the province. Vines tend to work hard over the summer months; they're subjected to just enough stress to produce fruit that has concentrated flavours. Those stony soils also radiate a great deal of heat which aids the ripening process.

Launched in 2005, the Bouldevines portfolio consists of seven wines, including the chardonnay we look at in this week's reviews.

Bouldevines Dog Point Road Chardonnay 2008

Aroma: A gentle aroma, soft and creamy with some light oak, jersey caramel and apple/citrus notes.

Taste: A warming whack of spiciness kicks things off. This is a generous wine full of ripe stone fruit, creamy citrus and caramel flavours. Buttery and rich, the wine's acidity keeps the balance just right. Ripe apple and some marmalade notes round out the finish and aftertaste. A reasonably full-bodied chardonnay that tastes ripe and full of sunshine.

Price: A good buy at $24.95; available at fine wine outlets or contact sales@bouldevineswine.co.nz

Abbey Cellars Hawke's BayCardinal Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Abbey Cellars is located in the Bridge Pa triangle, a sub-region of Hawke's Bay that consists of old Ngaruroro riverbed – the free draining river deposited gravels are known locally as the "red metals" and form the foundation of a major fine-wine producing area.

This wine is 87 per cent cabernet sauvignon with the balance made up of cabernet franc, merlot and malbec. It's an exciting wine due to its cabernet sauvignon dominance.

Colour: The shade of ripe plums and some flashes of terracotta add to the interest in the glass.

Aroma: Ripe plums and tar baking in the hot summer sun. Jammy, leathery, smoky with some exotic sweet fruit notes (think guava or similar).

Taste: Not as big and grunty as we would have expected but very pleasant just the same. This wine has a silky texture, soft tannins and some lovely fruity, tarry flavours that are surprisingly fresh and young. Slosh the wine around the mouth and some earthy black berryfruit and chocolate flavours really stand out.

Some notes of thyme and grass towards the finish are brisk enough to save the wine from flabbiness.

An easy-drinking wine that is ready to consume now – don't cellar it, there isn't enough acid to sustain it.

Price: $29.95.

Sacred Hill Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2009

Aroma: Fragrant summer stone fruit aromas team up with some funky leesy notes making for a tight, savoury nose.

Taste: Creamy stone-fruit flavours team up with gentle oak work; the peachiness is underpinned by biscuity, mealy flavours that are influenced by a slightly bitter "edge" that was actually quite difficult to describe.

This is quite an austere chardonnay that gained riper fuller flavours once it had been opened a while.

Price: $20.90.

Hunter's Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 09

Aroma: Typically Marlborough but in a crisp rather than aggressive way.

We picked up some lovely lime and other citrus notes, a whiff of currants and some light gooseberry notes while a generous dash of tropical fruitiness added richness and depth.

Taste: Lively, tingly acids and ripe citrus and gooseberry flavours are rounded out by that tropical fruitiness suggested on the aroma.

There's a clean, crisp mineral and citrus finish and aftertaste.

A wine that lives up to the standard we have come to expect from Hunter's. Crisp, complex and very enjoyable.

Price: Excellent buying at $19.50.

Dolbel Estate Methode Traditionelle Brut 06

Aroma: This straw-coloured wine has a fine busy bead and a yeasty, citrus and stone-fruit aroma that manages to smell both crisp and rich.

Some lovely toasty cashew notes add to our interest.

Taste: Rich and creamy with glorious stone-fruit and pastry flavours.

The palate becomes rich and citrusy towards the finish while yeasty, toasty, nutty notes help deliver on an exceptionally complex flavour profile.

A fabulous wine that boasts a creamy texture and abundance of flavour right out to the aftertaste; Dolbel Methode Traditionelle is elegant and generous at the same time – quite a feat.

Price: Buy and enjoy at $29.95.

- The Marlborough Express