Recommendation: VERY nice New Zealand Chardonnay.
Winery/Producer: Te Mata Estate Winery; Havelock, New Zealand.
Grape Variety: Chardonnay.
Geographic Region, Appellation: Hawke’s Bay, North Island New Zealand.
Vintage: 2013
Price: $ $29.99 (NZ$) about $22.40 (US$) plus a $20 corking fee.
Purchased From: Glengarry Wines, City Store; Auckland, New Zealand.
Paired With: Caesar salad with garlic and parmesan cheese. 1. Monkfish tail with smoked paprika served with spiced crab balls, sweet potato puree, red peppers, broccoli and a red pepper coulis. 2. Shrimp and marie rose sauce and med leaf salad.
Tasting:
He said: Chilled before drinking. Crystal clear, pale golden and light green color that glistens and is mirror-like in the glass. Strong oak and vanilla aroma with hints of mimosa flowers.. Very slight creamy mouth feel and a strong fruity pineapple and just a tad of lemon taste. But, the long finish had flavor and a very nice crispness to it. A solid Chardonnay that was well balanced and flavorful. Delicious with the fish, but I would have loved it with chicken too. VERY nice New Zealand Chardonnay.
She said: Clear with well spaced legs, some sluggish and others zippy. Defecate and pleasant vanilla and oak aroma that combined with mild fruit flavors in the taste. Slight buttery feel on the palate with a long crisp finish. The wine saved the dinner and was the best thing served. The shrimp were tasteless so its hard to say if the pairing was good. Very nice combination of flavors with none overpowering the others. Too bad the shrimp were so bland and could have benefited from the very good wine, but it was a delicious sipping wine.
Comments: Purchased from an Auckland, New Zealand wine shop and consumed in the Britannia Restaurant on board the Cunard Queen Mary 2.
Alcohol: 14%
Bar code: 9 418953 105139
Imported by: NA