Chardonnay is the world's most popular grape variety, no doubt because it is easy to grow and can be made in a huge range of styles. Chardonnay in New Zealand follows the trend. It is our country's most planted wine grape variety and grows everywhere without much fuss. And when it arrives in the winery it often becomes the winemaker's favourite playmate pin-up grape.

Comparing Chardonnay to the straight up and down "pick, crush, ferment, press, filter and bottle" Riesling and Sauvignon Blancs, or the petulant Pinots that disappoint more often than pleasing, Chardonnay gives plenty of opportunities to experiment with textbook solutions for when things go wrong.

Gisborne regards itself as the 'Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand' a title it deserves since it accounted for 42% of the country's total Chardonnay pick last year. It regained the title after bounding back from a pitiful harvest in 2001, when the bulk of the Chardonnay grapes were harvested in Marlborough. That year - 2001 - Gisborne wines generally failed to impress and prior to that the region was facing tasty challengers from Hawkes Bay and Marlborough. But Gisborne's 2002 Chardonnays may well see the region back on top for quality as well as quantity, if these two reasonably priced wines from the region are anything to go by.

Lincoln Reserve Barrique Fermented Chardonnay 2002, fermented in French oak barriques and regularly lees stirred over a 12-month period, is an oaky youthful number but behind that oak there's some superb fruit flavours. There's strong mealy, nutty oak and fruit on the nose and creamy, tropical and stone fruit flavours in this vibrant and savoury wine that has terrific fruit fleshing out the finish and a hint of butterscotch lingering. A couple of days later this full rich creamy wine shows off its excellent melon, pineapple and nectarine-like fruit character. The promise the vintage offers is definitely here in this wine.

Lincoln Heritage Barrique Fermented Chardonnay 2002, fermented in American French oak barriques and regularly lees stirred over a 10-month period is a more easy drinking style, ready now and sure to please. It's warm and mealy with vibrant pineapple and mandarin fruit, spicy vanillin oak and rich mealy creamy cashew nuts filling out the body and lengthening the finish. It's juicy with lots of flavour and the fresh burst of juicy fruit gum lingers. It's a little more simplistic than the 'Reserve' but very good and quite appealing to me.

The wines cost NZ$30 and NZ$20 respectively.

Lincoln Vineyards source their fruit from Chris and Anne Parker's Gisborne vineyard.

Find out more from the Lincoln Vineyards website.

© Sue Courtney
1 June 2003