McCashins 2009 Marlborough Chardonnay product reviews

Being somewhat less than a total wine snob, I can't give you all the fancy scales, scores, buzz-words or cliche phrases that only the most cognoscenti of wine drinkers could understand... if they actually do. After all, everyone's tastes vary, not just in preference, but in chemical sensitivity - thus the definition of 'taste' varies from person to person.

For me, this wine went something like this: The first whiff as I cracked the seal gave off a strong bouquet of fruit and autumn leaves... a very pleasant, if not entirely expected scent from a white wine - it almost reminded me of a red.

The first taste had strong melon and berryfruit tastes, with a hint of citrus sneaking around the outer edges. There was a vaporous rush up the back of my throat and nose as I swallowed, followed by a short and sharp, but thankfully not unpleasant, acid burst at the tail end that left my palate feeling clean. A lovely drop, great in cooking - if you can bring yourself to waste such a tasty grape-squeezing - but awesome being sipped on a cold night next to a hot fire.