Rawnsley Estate Chardonnay Central Ranges NSW Australia 2005 12.5%

A screwcap chard from Oz, I was expecting a violently vanilla offensive attack upon my palate and had culinarily paired my Rawnsley experience with a nice piece of seasoned chook. However I was pleasantly surprised (especially given the amount of poundage I spent on this one, a cool 5 quid) by the subtlety of this beaut, which possesses a tapestry of tropical goodness draped about a fine acid backbone. Drinking now, both with and without food (I abandoned the chicken for peachy pineapple passion…), but its acid would give it substance in 2-4 years time. 87 pts.

Montana Reserve Barrique Matured Merlot Marlborough New Zealand 2004 13.0%

I am currently on a mission to consume as many New Zealand reds as my budget will allow – as every red I have so far encountered that has been made by Kiwis, no matter what the grape, unfailingly displays the supple tannins and rich resplendent fruitiness that I crave in my wine drinking. Naturally, the wise New Zealanders began their exploration of red varietals with Pinot Noir, a grape well suited to their cooler climates, especially on the South Island…however of late I have been rather impressed by a number of Cab Sauvs, Syrahs, and Merlots that I have encountered of the Kiwi persuasion. One does tend to pay through the nose for these, but they are more likely than not worth every penny spent.

This Merlot was no exception – I was well-impressed with its intensity and length, full mouthfeel with supple satin tannins counterbalancing the thirst-quenching raspberries and blueberries on the palate. Great with pork and steak, but a stand alone bottle as well. 90 pts.

Barrique-matured simply means that it was aged in a Bordeaux style (French and US oak mix in this case) barrel. There are 3 main different sizes of barrel to choose from, if one does opt for barrel-aging (as most Old World producers do): Barrique/Bordeaux (225 L), Burgundy (228 L), and Hogshead (300 L). Barrel size tends to dictate surface area to volume ratio of wine/oak exposure, with smaller containers having a larger impact on how much oak character is imparted to the aging grape juice. More chemistry on this in a bit…