From the Cellar: Villa Maria Cellar Selection Chardonnay Marlborough 2011 – $$

Pale Gold colour. 13.5% alc.

A big nose. Cashew, honey, peach, pear. Warmth that cloaks a backbone of citrus. Poised, Refined.

In the mouth, I see lean golden fruit and citrus flavours. The wine is linear and long, graceful and powerful. There are nutty, crunchy characters on the mid-palate and a strong line of acidity at the finish.

The nose shows some great development in a short time. There isn’t enough fruit weight or overall acidity to make this a very long-lived example, but it does what it does when it did very well. (smiley face!)

VG 4