April 15, 2008...6:01 am
A Great NZ Chardonnay
Cloudy Bay is a producer well known for its Sauvignon Blanc. Little did I know when I picked up their Chard it would be as well made and tasty!
Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2005
VINTAGES 359513
Price: 39.65
colour: golden yellow - apple juice kind of colour - watery miniscus
on the nose: sensuous bouquet of lemon rind, apricot, creamed honey and green apple. there is a floral scent I can’t quite get, but this is a really amazing nose, I could smell it all day.
on the palate: a slash of acidity shows up first for me, followed by cacophony of fruit. ripe pears, green apples, lemon rind, dried apricot and banana chips. quickly followed by a light oaky creaminess. there’s a great minerality underpinning a number of the flavours here, adding a really gorgeous complexity to the flavours. The finish is medium in length - the minerality leaps out in front here, then is slowly overtaken by the fruity components. Very nice. Drinking well now, I’m sure this has a few more years left in it! 89 pts
Given the price point, this may not represent awesome QPR (quality to price ratio) but it is a great example of today’s Chardonnay.
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