From the cellar: Pencarrow Martinborough Chardonnay 2009 – $$

This bottle was left too long in the scratcher.

Light gold. 13.5%. Toasty on the nose, with vanilla and big hint of oxidation. The oxidation character continued in the mouth with that typical phenolic tang and the bitterness at the back of the palate. It was not dominant though, and I could still taste the fruit, though quite dried out, and there was honey and apricots there too.

This is the second label of Palliser Estate, so maybe the fruit was too light to handle the extra time in bottle? Never mind, it was interesting to try an older, easier-style chardonnay. 2.5