Marisco, Emma Marris Chardonnay, Waihopai Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2025

Coming across this in the Chardonnay line-up made me feel old – Emma Marris is daughter of Brent, the winemaking talent behind New Zealand runaway success brand The Ned. Emma joined the winemaking team at her father's company almost a decade ago after studying in Australia and international winemaking experience in France and the US. The fruit for this wine comes from Marlborough's Waihopai Valley, and is barrel fermented and aged in oak on lees for 10 months, with lees stirring, and malolactic conversion for softer acidity. There is some ripe peach, stone fruit flavour here, but it's the oak that's in the driving seat, smoky, toasty and nutty, with some struck-match reductive character. A good value buy if you like this style of Chardonnay. Mix six price £12.50