This renowned chardonnay producer has regularly topped Cuisine tasting and many shows with his fabulous Cab Francs, merlot and Reserve Chardonnays. 2001 gave Tim (the winemaker) such an abundance of fruit that he felt he could add a tier to his already existing two tiers of Chardonnay.

The fruit from this wine is the same fruit that goes into the Reserve (94 points for 2001) and this can be seen with the high alcohol 14.5% which transfers into a beautiful texture.

Although Unoaked Chardonnay is often cheaper this example is $22 NZD ,considered quite expensive by NZ standards. However it is worth the price.

Colour: lime gold
Nose: strong spiced citrus, with elegant stonefruit (mostly peach) with a developed phenolic character which intergrates the aromas very well. Malo-influenced notes also hint at the edge fo the nose.
Palate: Rich with strong phenolic bitterness, the acids are solid but are overpowered by fruit and phenols. The texture is stunning.
Overal: A great unoaked chardonnay, one of the best I've had. A B+ on the QPR and a 88 on the Jeremy Scale.