A complex, interesting New Zealand Chardonnay ...

WINE TALK
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  • 2012 Carrick Chardonnay ebm Cairnmuir Road - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago (5/28/2014)
    Colour pale lemon. A fresh nose of citrus, with a mealy component (reflecting the 18 months of barrel fermentation), with chalky minerality and some vanilla oak (but not, to me, out of proportion). On palate, a relatively sweet entry, with good mid palate depth and lovely bright acidity (often lacking in NZ Chardonnays). A well balanced Chardonnay with a velvety texture and good mouthfeel. Complex flavours, including mealy, chalk, crushed rocks and citrus, with a long, creamy finish. The oak treatment is apparent on palate but again not overdone. With this acid balance, a good food wine. The relatively high alcohol (14%) is not over-prominent on palate. This would be an interesting wine to cellar for 5+ years. Fruit from the Cairnmuir Terrace, Bannockburn, Central Otago, whole bunch, 18% new oak.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Thanks Howard - my impressions are similar:

Pale straw colour, citrus and beeswax on the nose. Good viscosity, yet light on the palate without disjunction or angularity, aside from a little as yet unintegrated oak. Good balance, racy acidity, layered complexity with mealy notes on the long finish. Not obviously New World in style – for me perhaps closer in style to Puligny than Chablis, if that’s where you were going with the chalky minerality.

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Finally opened a bottle of this. I agree with your assessment of the complexity and balance of the wine. It is very polished and handled with care. Some Central Otago Chardonnay (and there are less and less of those) can produce angular and agressive acidity. This is not the case here. It evoked the richness and balance of Meursault. Would be interesting in a NZ Chardonnay line up and I suspect it would do very well.