2016 Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay

Mid lemon. Bacon fat, some struck match, hazelnut oak and lemon. Taut, lean lemon and flint on the palate. More austere and less generous than Hunting Hill. Stony, smoky, long finish. (TJ)

The 2016 Maté’s Vineyard Chardonnay has a surprisingly backward bouquet; this is clearly a wine that will require several years in bottle. But the potential is here. The palate is rounded on the entry, a little more viscous than I expected and more similar in style to the 2015 than to the superior 2014. There is a lot of extract here, and touches of lemongrass and ginger toward the finish, though I would like to see more tension develop. Tasted at the Kumeu River Chardonnay vertical in London.