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Toi Toi Reserve Chardonnay Wine Review

Toi Toi Reserve Chardonnay

Toi Toi Reserve Chardonnay

Community Score:90/100

Community Reviews: 1

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Drink: Now

Wine Type: White Wine


Winery: Toi Toi

Reviews and Ratings

Steve Kubota rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

TOI TOI WINES
RESERVE CHARDONNAY
WAIMAUKA, WEST AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND


About the Winery:
A family run business, Toi Toi Wines, (pronounced Toy Toy), is inspired by NZ's natural beauty and awe inspiring flora and fauna. The Toi Toi is our largest and most graceful native grass. There are four Toi Toi sub species which have naturally adapted to New Zealand’s diverse sub-regional climates, like our grape varieties.

This natural adaptability and majesty has provided inspiration for our winemaking philosophy:

To create quality, distinctive New Zealand wines by sourcing premium varietals from the regions in which they are most renowned. Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, Pinot Noir from Central Otago and Late Harvest Riesling from Waipara.

My Tasting Notes:
I tasted the Toi Toi Reserve Chardonnay at a New Zealand Bubbly and Chardonnay media event. The wines for the event were chosen by an astute panel of industry experts in New Zealand to help showcase the best of the best wines for each category. There are two main islands that comprise New Zealand. The Chardonnay was tasted with five other north island producers and five producers from the south island. There are quite contrasting styles from each region making this a potpourri and flavourfest for lovers of Chardonnay. The acidity levels for most of the wines from New Zealand run quite high.

This Chardonnay is similar to many of the north island Chardonnays by a distinct, wet stone, shale or slate minerality in the nose. The Toi Toi was one of the best of class at this tasting. You are also greeted with vibrant lemon/citrus zest and succulent Bosch pear aromas, wet stone (slate) and smoky oak in the aromas and on the palette. There was a nice, even weighting and a generously pleasing mouth-feel and a good, lengthy finish. This Chardonnay stands on its own but even better paired with roasted chicken, rabbit and/or Cobb Salad. I would have scored it higher if it was just a tad dryer. Drink now to 2025. My score: 90-92/100


Varietal composition: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Waimauka, West Auckland
Fermentation: Steel tanks, transferred to new and seasoned French oak barriques
Alcohol: 13.5%
Sugar: 4.0 g/l
Acidity: 8.8 g/l
pH: 3.32

Tasted May 14th, 2015

You can follow me on Twitter: @stevekubota

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