| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | New Zealand > Auckland |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Still |
This is such impressive chardonnay in terms of power and complexity, delivering so much with such poise. Aromas of lemons and peaches intersect with lightly spicy oak and brioche on the nose. The palate drops mouth-filling flavors of peach and lemon and winds tight, before exploding long on the finish with a long, nutty afterglow. Perfect chardonnay. Drink over the next decade or more. Screw cap.
The 2020 Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay is savory and exotic, with star anise, shaved fennel, hints of cracked cumin and white pepper. This is the tightest and most linear of the 2020s tasted today, but this is a good thing. Far from being boring, linear is not a pejorative descriptor; this is a composed and powerful wine with really good palate weight, and it's the only wine in the collection to contain the Mendoza clone; the volume in the mouth does check out. This is an excellent wine, thrusty and intense. There are miles to go before it sleeps. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2023-2035.
The vines for Mate's Vineyard turned 30 years old for the 2020 vintage here. The Brajkovich family believe this is the highest quality fruit they have ever harvested from this site, the Mendoza clone bringing the perfect blend of smaller, thicker-skinned berries and larger, fresher ones. The fruit is hand harvested and whole bunch pressed before spontaneous fermentation and maturation in Seguin Moreau and Mercurey barrels - of which 30% are new. 1300 cases produced. Bright lemon colour in the glass. Rich and expansive on the nose, bringing the best of Hunting Hill and Coddington together - there is tension and struck match but also rich, heady apricot fruit. The palate is dense and concentrated, oily with peaches, apricot and lemon oil. The volume is held together by a pithy grip and bright, zesty acidity. Complexity comes in waves from spice, succulent fruit and savoury, mineral tones. A structured and harmonious wine, it is an incredibly impressive iteration of Mate's Vineyard.
Even for this wine, for which Michael Brajkovich predicts 'long-term bottle maturation', only four to six years are recommended! Note how much less potent it is than Hunting Hill. Pale gold. Quite an opulent nose. I must say the nose made me think involuntarily of some Corton-Charlemagnes. Really precise and mealy with perfect balance. You could already enjoy it but it will surely become even more complex in bottle. Long and satisfying, a wine designed to soothe sore throats. Quite a triumph; easy to see why it's the most expensive in this range. 13% Drink 2021 – 2028
Oak – 100% barrel fermentation in 30% new French oak and 100% malolactic fermentation with 11 months maturation in barrel.
At just two quid more than HH, there is no competition, in my mind, between this wine and the aforementioned beauty if you wanted to plump for just one wine. Maté’s is sublime in 2020 and unlike its stablemate, you can already sense the splendour here. Juicier, more structured but in no way rich or indeed oaky, there is impressive control throughout this experience and it makes this ‘Grand Cru’ all the more attractive. When you consider the price alongside the flavour this is a no-brainer. So perfumed, so balanced, so long and such incredible value – what a wine.
