Wine Reviews
Chardonnay
Foxes Island Marlborough Chardonnay 2006:
Your Weekend (Sam Kim), 11 October 2008
"A breathtaking wine showing extreme grace and charm. Its white peach, cream and subtle oak characters are impeccably harmonised and balanced."
Foxes Island Marlborough Chardonnay 2005:
Wine Orbit Magazine(Sam Kim), July 2007
96/100 * * * * *
Equal Top Scoring Chardonnay
"This was the most fascinating Chardonnay of the tasting. At first the wine showed little; a tight nose exhibiting mineral, flinty notes. Then it opened up a little - subtle apricots and grapefruit. After five minutes in a glass (the beautiful Riedel Ouverture Magnum) it was showing an exquisite bouquet of fresh cream and gentle oak as well as delicate fruit notes. The palate is even more glorious with excellent concentration, seamless texture, fine acidity and an incredible length of flavour that lasted over a minute. The purity of fruit is extraordinary, the balance impeccable, and the structure formidale. Mersault-like? You bet. Premier Cur standard? Absolutely. At its best: now to 2009."
Winewise Magazine Vol 23, June 2007
"Very Burgundian - malty, some matchstick, nutty aromas - very delicate palate with an enticing creamy texture carrying great depth of flavour - long, balanced finish. this is a wine of real finesse. 14.0% alcohol. Outstanding."
Daniel Sogg - Wine Spectator, 31 May 2007
87
"Ripe and lively, with very good intensity to the bright beam of pineapple, pear and lemon flavours, which is underscored by toasty oak. Drink now."
Bob Campbell MW - Gourmet Traveller WINE, Apr/May
2007 89 * * * *
"A concentrated and complex Chardonnay with bran biscuit, hazelnut, white peach, grapefruit, root ginger and a slightly sauvignon blanc-like vegetal character. Mouth-filling wine of character and power."
Michael Cooper, Kate Radburnd & Oliver Masters - Cuisine, March 2007
* * * * * - TOP TEN CHARDONNAY!
As one panellist stated, this is a Chardonnay with a "background of consistent excellence". Seductively fleshy, with an intriguing gunflint/smoky character, it is a rare combination of power and delicacy. A very well-crafted wine."
Charmian Smith - Otago Daily Times, 24 January 2007
* * * * 1/2
"A classy Chardonnay, hinting of grapefruit, herbs and flowers, intense, rich, full and textural on the palate with subtle smoky oak and a long finish. It's already deliciously balanced and complex but will develop with another year or so of bottle age."
Glenda Neil - www.vinote.com Website, December 2006
"This is a wine that I always look forward to each vintage. Winemaker John Belsham consistently manages to produce a wine of elegance and balance. Nutty toasty oak complimented by rich citrus fruit flavours and a long creamy finish, complex and satisfying worth a spell in the cellar, about $34 in NZ."
Michael Cooper's Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines 2007
* * * * 1/2
"This deeply flavoured, finely balanced Chardonnay is consistently impressive. The 2005 vintage, fully fermented in French oak barriques, is one of the best. Rich and elegant, it's a very harmonious wine with ripe, stone-fruit, fig, butter and toast flavours, mealy and complex. Soft through the palate, with lovely delicacy and depth, it shows excellent potential."
Peter Saunders - "Winestate Magazine", September/October 2006
* * * * 1/2
"Clean and alive, very youthful on release; a wine which will develop and evolve a lot more. Serious style, minerally, alive and quite intense. All balanced and ready for a quiet year or two in the bottle."
CURRENT RELEASES
Foxes Island Marlborough Chardonnay 2006
