Margrain Martinborough Chardonnay 2017

Margrain Martinborough Chardonnay 2017"Weighty, flavoursome chardonnay with citrus, grapefruit, white peach, bran biscuit and subtle spicy oak flavours. A moderately robust wine in an appealing and harmonious style." Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review The colour is a rich royal gold so it is no surprise that the nose is bold and complex. Bright grapefruit, soft ripe avocados, kiwi crush and butterscotch are bandied about by more mealy notes of grilled chestnut, grated nutmeg,

"Weighty, flavoursome chardonnay with citrus, grapefruit, white peach, bran biscuit and subtle spicy oak flavours. A moderately robust wine in an appealing and harmonious style." Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review

The colour is a rich royal gold so it is no surprise that the nose is bold and complex. Bright grapefruit, soft ripe avocados, kiwi crush and butterscotch are bandied about by more mealy notes of grilled chestnut, grated nutmeg, flowering briar and wild oats. Further down the long corridors of power the old world charm kicks in: a thin scraping of vegemite, some black truffle oil and a tantalising hint of the bilge water from a clinker built dingy. Finally a sting of fine Kauri dust flying free from a hot belt sander.

The palate is defined by its power; subtle yet absolute. Under the cover of night this clandestine wine will sidle up with a nonchalant approachability while nimble fingers draw you in deeper and deeper. The fruit is peacherine and baked pear followed by spiced apple and glacé cherry. The texture is rich and creamy while the structure broad and bare chested. The mildly assertive yet seamless acidity snakes its way back into the deepest recesses where the agile backbone gives an urbane assurance. Imagine chewing strips of wildebeest biltong between sips of this versatile Chardonnay.

We may stand accused of shamelessly chasing the ever-moving goalposts of the Chardonnay style bandwagon. So be it. Our clean, lean, fruit driven examples of many years have been superseded by somewhat more rounded wines which show a little more oak, a lot more MLF influence and when circumstances permit, spend more time in barrel. We are rather pleased with the results.