Hunting Hill Chardonnay, Kumeu River 2020

The 2020 Hunting Hill Chardonnay is superb. Tingly, lemony acidity and flamboyant yellow fruit wrap around the acid. Silky, velvety texture defines the Chardonnays at this estate, and if you want to get a sense of that, this is an eloquent place to start. There's preserved lemon, white peach, some pastry and white spice and lashings of toasted nuts. Great wine here with a long future. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2023-2035.

Really nervy nose. Truly burgundian, if one is allowed to say this. Great fruit and great tension. Just the job and amazingly vibrant and persistent on the finish. You could drink this already but it will clearly last really well – though winemaker Michael Brajkovich is consistently cautious with his suggested drinking windows; 'will improve with bottle age for four to six years'. A hint of Puligny here. 14%Drink 2021 – 2028

Oak – 100% barrel fermentation in 25% new French oak and 100% malolactic fermentation with 11 months maturation in barrel.Hunting Hill is now a fifty quid proposition so you have to be a fan to get in here. This is a commanding HH and it shows the restraint and also the structure that this label can summon up in the best vintages. Backward, tense and self-conscious, this will be a resounding success but you must be patient. I would be tempted to put a ‘timer’ on for eight years. While this might sound crazy, in my experience, this will be around when this wine starts to blossom.

A complex chardonnay with yellow citrus, as well as lemon-curd and creamy tones. Light hazelnut, too. The palate has such all-encompassing, fresh peachy flavors and builds impressively through the long, full finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.