New Zealand does great Pinot Noir and pretty good Sauvignon Blanc. It can do Chardonnay but this one from Stoneleigh, Repaura Series, Chardonnay is not one to drink. The aromas are oak followed by oak followed by oak. There are notes of condensed lemon in the nose but not a great initial feeling. It doesn’t get any better when you taste it, far too much oak. The wife thinks it should have been laid down for a few more years and that should allow the flavours to come out.

At £10 a bottle is not expensive for NZ wine but for a drink now wine it doesn’t work.

Stoneleigh, Repaura Series, Chardonnay, 2018, Marlborough, New Zealand