I have an ulterior motive for writing this blog.

Sure, I try to make it amusing and informative, and there’s some satisfaction in thinking I’m amusing and informing people, but the raison d’etre, (dare I say raisin d’etre) is to score some free wine.

One day I’ll have wineries from across the nation sending me the fruits of their labours and it won’t be the under $20 fruits, no, they’ll be dispatching the top shelf stuff.

One day.

Maybe it’s started.

Just last week I was given two bottles for the blog by two mates. Both were over $20 and both deserve to be written up. I will be forever in their debt.

Let’s start with the one closest to $2o, Wanted Man Marsanne Viognier blend. Viognier looked like becoming all the rage a couple of years ago, intense and aromatic, full bodied and alcoholic it could appeal to SB and chardonnay lovers both. Go even further back and Mitchellton had a very popular straight marsanne from central Victoria. I can’t think of any others and I certainly can’t think of anyone blending the two outside the Rhone Valley (I think they make white Hermitage from these two, maybe with a bit of rousanne too) which is a shame, because it’s a cracking blend. Particularly when it gets some deft wood treatment like this one, including maturation on the lees in the hands of Shadowfax wine maker ??? (yeah, Gandalf’s horse).

The nose is aromatic, but not as perfumed as a straight viognier. Honeysuckle and toast. The palate is rich and mouth filling with a toasty finish. It’s quite unlike anything else. Imagine if a Chablis and a gewürztraminer got together one night. No, that’s to close to be a metaphor. Better still Tarantino teamed up with Jane Campion to co-direct a movie, staring Harvey Keitel, of course. Refined and yet full of action. Thank you Shane

It was a sad moment when we realised the bottle was empty.

But that meant we got to open the next bottle from a mate, called Mate’s Vineyard. Its full name is Kumeu River Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay, 2008. There should be an accent on the e at the end of mate, but I don’t know how to do that. Mate Brajkovich reworked the land in 1990 and then died in 1992 so he never got to experience the fruits of his labours and that’s nothing short of a tragedy because this was a seriously good drop.

Although it was close to celebrating its 8th birthday there wasn’t a hint of age to the wine. Brightly coloured, delicately perfumed with buttery citrus and pears, here is a wine in its prime – past its prime according to the blurb on the bottle which suggested four to six years. Like the Wanted Man it had a rich mouth filling character, but more complex and with a longer lasting finish. It’s easy to forget about kiwi Chardonnays, but here is one that’s leading the way. Back to the movie analogy, think Jane Campion and Revenant director Alejandro Inarrito. Thank you Laura.

Turns out it sells for about $60 if you can find it so I guess it should have been better. Thank you very much Laura!

I guess if I was serious about people sending me wine I’d have to tell them where.

Let’s see if there are any more forthcoming.