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Matawhero Chardonnay 2014 Wine Review

Matawhero Chardonnay 2014

Matawhero Chardonnay 2014

Gisborne, North Island, New Zealand

Community Score:89/100

Community Reviews: 6

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Price: $19.95

Drink: 2016-2018

Bottle size: 750 ml

Alcohol: 14.2%

Sweetness: Dry

Wine Type: White Wine


Winery: Matawhero

Agent: Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.

Natalie's Score: 87/100

A full-boded New Zealand Chardonnay with apple and buttered bread notes. Pair with roasted chicken.

Chardonnay food pairings: seafood salad, spring green salad with pomegranate and dried sweet cranberries.

This Matawhero Chardonnay 2014 was reviewed on June 5, 2016 by Natalie MacLean

More Vintages: 2020 

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Pricing & Stock Information

Reviews and Ratings

Greg Hughes rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

3 Reasons to drink Gisborne Chardonnay: 1) They delicious, 2) They love to experiment (wild yeast, different malo levels, clonal variation), 3) Gisborne accounts for less than 4% of NZ wine, so take ever opportunity.
This wine may be unoaked, but it went through full malolactic fermentation and received some nice lees aging along the way.
Youthful and delicate colouring - very pale lemon, with light green hues.
The aromas have great ripeness - good for carrying this wine's high alcohol (14%+). Peach (verging on peach candy), lemon, hulled wheat, and some lactic notes. Orchard flower aromas emerge a bit as it sits out - some funky lees, too.
The flavours are full and tropical. Loads of pineapple, nectarine, peach,and guava. Some caramel and brioche present. There's decent body and length. Matawhero represents a good balance between traditional winemaking methodology and the technological micromanagement reflective of New Zealand viticulture.
This would be a great wine to find on a wine list, as I can imagine a lot of excellent pairing suggestions for it (green olives, crab legs, BBQ chicken thighs, potato chips). Drink or hold for a few years.
Nicole Lewis rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

Fresh hay, lemon and ripe peach with an underscore of tangerine greet your nose on this pale yellow wine. It is unapologetically fully bodied with medium acidity and lovely soft vanilla quality as well as the aforementioned fruit on the palate. It has a lovely balance of fruit, oak and acidity. The finish is a long, smooth stone fruit and vanilla affair. I would pair this chardonnay with lentils and rice, or braised chicken breasts.
Jane LeFresne rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

This wine is 100 per cent Chardonnay grapes and has gone through malolatic fermentation. Melon, butterscotch, pink grapefruit, and red apple aromas. Butterscotch and vanilla flavours lead to the creaminess of this wine. Finish of lemon and butterscotch. Pair with creamy chicken dishes or even turkey dinner.
Terry Jeans - Certified S rated this wine as 88/100 with the following review:

Wet hay, minerality, butterscotch, lemon drops on the nose with a round, crisp mouthfeel of citrus, hay and pineapple on the palate. Very interesting wine that you so not see very often that is well worth a try. It would pair well with chicken ceasar salad or any salad with a cream dressing.
This New Zealand white wine is made from unoaked Chardonnay grapes and the wine undergoes a full malolactic fermentation. The oldest are 40 years of age. - Community Wine Review

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