St. Pierre Chablis 2001, AOC Chablis  $34

Nice clean chardonnay nose with some developed colour. The palate had malic acid (apple), a touch of wood and good length. The wine was typically French with a complex structured style and no overt fruitiness. A very typical lean Chablis style which was just starting to show its age with a slight hint of oxidation. 3 votes

Jean Marc Brocard Beauregard Chablis Premier Cru 2003, AOC Chablis Premier Cru, $30.15

This wine had quite a developed colour for the age. The fruit was lovely and ripe with some wood and a citrus character. This was a bigger wine than the St. Pierre and had a nice long finish. Like the St. Pierre this wine showed the typical restrained style expected of Chablis. This was a quality wine with plenty of life ahead of it. 7 votes

Sacred Hill Barrel Ferment Chardonnay 2002, Hawkes Bay, $25

Obviously ripe and overt fruit was the first impression of this wine, especially after the restrained style of the two Chablis. There was obvious oak on the nose but overall it was quite well-balanced with integrated characters. However there was no elegance or style and it was already showing aged characters. 3 votes

Mills Reef Reserve Chardonnay 2006, Hawkes Bay $18.99

For its age this wine was surprisingly developed in colour but the nose still showed the aromas of a young wine. On the palate it still needs time to develop with the components obvious individually. This was a wine with considerably more character and good value for the money. 5 votes

Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2007, Hawkes Bay, $26.99

This young wine was pale gold with a nose dominated by oak and ripe fruit. The fruit, acid and tannin balance was good but this was a wine that showed the hot character of high alcohol. This was a very typical New World chardonnay style but it lacked the class of the Mills Reef.

Clearview Beachhead Chardonnay 2007, Hawkes Bay, $21.99

The Beachhead wine is from Te Awanga on the coast where it is cooler than the inland areas of Hawke’s Bay. The colour of the wine is a pale gold/green and the nose has a distinct acid lift. There is only a touch of oak on the palate and the length is moderate. This is a somewhat featureless wine that is a bit of a guide to why the aromatic varieties have become so much more popular in the moderate price bracket.

Kim Crawford Briant Vineyard Chardonnay 2007, Gisborne, $16.99

From the warmer Gisborne region this chardonnay displayed the typical tropical fruit characters. The wine was made to drink immediately with a touch of oak but no complexity. This was a distinctly different style to the Hawke’s Bay wines but again was simple and lacking in character. 2 votes

Spy Valley Chardonnay 2006, Marlborough, $18.99

This Marlborough wine was another distinct change from the Hawke’s Bay wines and somewhat closer to the Chablis. There is quite a golden colour and the nose is more complex with a touch of oak and nicely lifted acid. On the palate it is refreshing, showing nice ripe fruit that is not so overt, a mineral character and a backbone of complexity leading to a long finish. Of all the NZ wines this showed the most potential to age well. This was the style that appealed most to me. 3 Votes

Clearview Cape Kidnappers Merlot 2006, $19.72

Merlot with Malbec – we can assume less than 15% Malbec as it is not mentioned on the label

2006 was a very good vintage in Hawke’s Bay and this was a nice example of a Merlot made in a early drinking style. It had a deep purple hue, with plenty of good ripe fruit on the nose. It was a bit more austere and chewy than expected for this style but had good length and just a touch of oak and complexity. Despite the early drinking style might be better in a year or two. Maybe the slightly cooler Te Awanga area contributed this character.

Esk Valley Black Label Merlot 2006, $19.97

100% Merlot

The Esk Valley was made from Gimblett Gravels fruit. Even deeper purple in colour, it had the appearance of a very young wine with aromas of plum and even floral. The palate was much more rounded with the classic Merlot velvety mouth feel and a touch of mineral. This wine also had good length but was more attractive as a drink now proposition, two of our members rating it best of the night on this score.

Red Rock Gravel Pit Red 2006, $17.99

“Mostly Merlot with a seasoning of Malbec” – could mean anything (no varietal labelling) but count on reputable producer to mean what they say

From the Gimblett Gravels this wine also had a deep intense purple colour but the nose had quite a bit of oak (courtesy of a bit of new oak?) to go with the fruit aromas. This was a more complex wine with plenty of power and length on the palate to complement the ripe fruit and nice acid. The wine had the smooth mouth filling character expected of a Merlot. This was equal first as the best to drink now.

CJ Pask Roy’s Hill Merlot 2006, $15

100% Merlot

This wine is from the Gimblett Gravels where Pask was the first winery to plant grapes. The colour was a rather less intense purple/ruby. The nose was powerful and had some developed wood and dried fruit bouquet characters as opposed to the youthful aromas of the first three. The Plumy and mouth filling palate made this an easy drinking style and was best to drink now by two members.

Mission Estate Reserve Merlot 2005, $19.99 on special

87% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon

This was produced from fruit sourced in Te Awanga, Gimblett Gravels and Dartmoor. The colour was deep purple/black and the nose had great depth of fruit with nice oak in a somewhat developed style. It is still a very young wine with weight on the palate that is rounded and balanced, finishing with good length. This wine was quite clearly produced in a slower developing style, with 50% new oak, and a deliberate attempt to build complexity.

CJ Pask Declaration Merlot 2004, $48

100% Merlot

Produced from Gimblett Gravels grapes and blended from fruit grown on the best clay rich sites in the Pask vineyard. It had a very intense deep purple colour. There was lovely “cedar box” oak and a bouquet of dried fruit on the nose. On the palate it was notable for its power combined with velvety rounded fruit and good length. Despite being four year old the wine still has a few years to integrate fully and show its best. Gold medal standard. This wine scored the second most votes for wine of the night and was also equal first as best to drink now.

Craggy Range Sophia 2004, $49.90

92% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon

Produced from Gimblett Gravels fruit. The colour was very intense purple. The nose was still very much toward the young berry fruit aromas but with great intensity and balanced oak. Even more so than the Pask this wine was notable for its power but it has all the balance between ripe fruit, tannin and acid to suggest development into a complex and elegant aged wine. This was starting to integrate but is still not ready to drink and it just piped the Declaration for wine of the night. Gold medal standard

Mills Reef Elspeth Merlot 2005, $33.99 on special ($44 regular)

100% Merlot

This was produced from much younger Gimglett Gravel vines, (6-7 years). Again the wine was a deep purple but the nose was quite different. There was an obvious mineral/iodine character that seems more characteristic of Syrah wine but this came with lovely fruit and oak. On the palate it was mouth filling, complex, quite aggressive and full of nice ripe fruit. This wine was perhaps the most complex style of the night and it was third “favourite” for wine of the night. Gold medal standard.

This was an interesting evening which demonstrated the wide range of styles that can be produced from one variety even when they are produced in the same region. We could not look for a better example of why saying “I love (or hate) Merlot” is so pointless. As with all other wine varieties it is individual wines or styles which appeal to us, not whole classes of wines from some particular variety.

For me it also demonstrated that Hawke’s Bay produces great Merlots that show just how classical this variety is. Fortunately for us consumers however they are desperately unfashionable and therefore tremendous value for money. According to Vino Fino Hawke’s Bay reds and Merlot in particular are almost unsaleable in Christchurch!! More fool Christchurch I say.