Best New Zealand Chardonnays

[cuttlefish]

I've had an ongoing interest in chardonnay, and following on from the "Best Aussie Chardonnay" thread, I thought it'd be interesting to find out what's hot in New Zealand...

I've tasted far fewer than I'd like, so have only a small list of favourites, and ones that are on my radar:
Kumeu River - anything from this producer that I've tried in the past has wowed me. Ample oak influence, but all the fruit power to handle it. I did manage to chase down some of their 2020 Mate's Vineyard, but will hold for a few years..
Neudorf Moutere - have had a couple of different vintages, and do like!
Villa Maria single vineyards such as Keltern.
Church Road Grand Reserve - Was a quite ripe, oaky style when I last tasted maybe 8 years ago, but was good.
Dog Point - kinda flamboyant, and I love it!
Cloudy Bay

What fave's do you have?

[Ian S]

Church Road reserve was one of those dirty little secret pleasures we used to love, a right butterball of a wine. It wasn't a great wine, but it was a simple pleasure dialled up to 11

I did really enjoy Mission Jewelstone, but (like the church rd reserve, it's been many years since I've seen it)

Kumeu River are good for sure, and fair value across the range

[edit: How could I forget Te Mata Elston - definitely our go to NZ Chardonnay]

Nothing that has truly wowed me in the way that Cullen's does, but very few duds encountered.

[brodie]

As a patriotric Kiwi (who actually buys about 6 bottles of NZ wine per year), I would say the following are ones I like;

Kumeu - top of the tree especially the Hunting Hill and the Mates. The Hunting Hill is my personal favourite
Neudorf Moutere - accolades well justified and a great site for Chardonnay on Nelson
Bell Hill - very Burgundian and complex, marvelous with 5-65 years of bottle age
Felton Road Block 2 - really good and quite restrained
Martinborough Estate - leesy ,complex and full bodied

The Hakes Bay crew led by Church Road, Clearview Estate etc tend to bigger riper and more powerful. Church Road make a Tom Chardonnay which is massively over priced but impressive

A couple more worthy mentions are the Villa Maria Ihumatao from near Auckland Airport (vineyard gone now sadly) and the Odyssey Hera from Gisborne

[Michael McNally]

Bell Hill - very Burgundian and complex, marvelous with 5-65 years of bottle age

Bold statement!

Cheers

Michael

[Dragzworthy]

Marvelous thread idea! Always love a good pointer.

I agree the Kumeu River Hunting Hill is the pick, more restrained and has that lovely sea salt quality to it, superior wine to the Mates Vineyard though many may disagree here.

Others that spring to mind are Pegasus Bay as well as Dry River.

[cuttlefish]

Interesting what you guys are saying about the Hunting Hill. I must look out for one!

I can't believe the Ihumatao Vineyard is gone! The whole thing, or just the chardonnay part?

I concur about the Hawkes Bay ones being riper. That has been my experience. At some point I'll chase down the Trinity Hill and Bilancia ones to see where they fit.

[Mahmoud Ali]

The ones I've found to be good to excellent have been the '07 Sacred Hill 'Rifleman' and the '09 Greywhacke and Dog Point which were indeed "flamboyant" but in a rich and complex way. All are drinking well today but the Rifleman is extra special and is still youthful and elegant.

[felixp21]

Kumeu Mates

daylight

Escarpment Kupe
Felton Road Block 2

Mates gets quite close to Leeuwin IMO and those two for me are head and shoulders (year in, year out) the two best Antipodean chards

[JamieAdelaide]

I’m not the best judge and will sway to Mates comfortably. I was utterly shocked at its quality when it a quaffing wine in Hong Kong about 15 years ago. It sat well above their other wines. I think HH was on the scene. They were so cheap because Berry Brothers put them in their sales and tax free. About half the price of NZ. So had cases of the stuff knowing full well it’s quality but never wise enough to cellar longer term.