Wither Hills, Chardonnay, Marlborough

Virgin Lounge Brisbane: quite lively with heaps of spritz right through the palate. Caramel oak everywhere but not what I would call agressive. Indeed quite pleasant albeit the wood is quite sweet. Otherwise a bit one-dimensional and doesn't its claims beyond quaffer.

Pale gold. Warm tropical notes on nose. Tangy and tasty on the palate, with reasonable length. Probably at its peak.

delicious with pork loin roast with leeks and fennel. see previous note. Wine didn't seem quite so memorable this time around

wonderful mouth filling chardonnay, lovely aged characteristics developing with citrus notes like candied lemon peel and maybe some peach notes, good balance finishing dry in the mouth, delicious

A tad more balanced with the additional time in bottle. Nicely refreshing, not too syrupy sweet or oaky. Stone fruit aromas with butterscotch. Nice smooth feel to the palate. No roughness and finishes quite long with it. It's not complex, but it is a nice good value drop.

Classic NZ chardonnay. Lots of oak but very smooth. Good balance and some length.

A nice nose of stone fruits and butter, with a more lemony and mineral palate. The rating gets pushed down due to a rather hot finish, pushing it out of balance a bit.

Good new world expression of chardonnay, at a very reasonable price when on offer (regularly seems to be and I picked it up for under £6). Nose of papaya and mango, some caramel and toffee. Quite sweet fruit on the palate, medium bodied and still a little overpowering on the wood front. But finishes quite fresh and long.

nice weight and just a slight influence of oak, creamy with still enough fruit and balancing acidity to keep us chardonnay shy folks coming back for another glass. This is one chardonnay I enjoy and as such I keep a few in the cellar. Very approachable Good on you Wither Hills

Lovely golden straw colour which suggests greater age than it has. The noze is all Bazooka bubblegum with some faint lychees at the back but not very complex. The palate is all over-ripe pineapple: sweet, acidic in the stomach, rather cloying and slightly tart on the back of the throat. Leaves a rather oily petrol taste on the mouth at the finish. For me, this is a good example of why you are much better off going for Central Otago …