A Hawke's Bay classic, the 2019 Riflemans Chardonnay is as good as previous top vintages, easily marrying fine French oak (80% new!) with sunny New Zealand fruit. Toasted hazelnuts accent grilled pineapple, while hints of scorched coffee and ripe white peaches play around the edges. It's medium to full-bodied, ripe and generous, silky in texture and long on the finish. Concentrated and complex, it's delicious now but should drink well for at least another five years or so.

One of my favorite NZ Chards year after year, the 2017 Riflemans Chardonnay continues that successful tradition, marrying ripe pineapple and grilled peach notes with scents of toasted grain. It's unabashedly oaked but has the powerful fruit to handle it, resulting in waves of lush flavor. Medium to full-bodied, generous yet structured, with a long, long finish, it should drink well for another 5-6 years, maybe more.

Subtle notes of toasted grain frame ripe peach and melon in the 2016 Riflemans Chardonnay, which comes from a couple of cool, upland vineyards. As usual, it shows great freshness, combined with ample richness and depth, and a long, silky-textured finish. This is consistently among the top Chardonnays from Hawke's Bay.

One of the region's top Chardonnays year in and year out, the 2015 Riflemans Chardonnay is another fine example. Roasted cashews frame ripe peach and pineapple fruit, but while this wine is bold and expressive it also retains a sense of elegance. Medium to full-bodied, it finishes with flourishes of toasty oak and grilled citrus.

Wow – the 2010 Riflemans Chardonnay has a profoundly scented, tropical nose of guava and mango over suggestions of butterscotch, cashews, meal and ginger. Richly fruited and satiny textured with tons of fruit packed into an elegant medium body, it has a long and layered finish. The oak is still a little prominent and it should drink best 2013 to 2017+. Importer: Station Imports, PO Box 61509, Colorado Springs, CO 80960-1509 Tel 719 633 2184