Ninth Island Chardonnay

I knew that a white N was going to prove difficult. I had a choice of whether to spend my weekend on a wild goose chase around series of bottle shops, or to take the ferry and go to the Australian Golf Open.

I've never been to a major golf tournament before and so didn't really know what to expect. The condition of the course was outstanding and I have seen putting greens in a worse state than the fairways these chaps were playing on.

I stood right behind Jason Day (an Australian star) on the 12^th tee. I knew the professionals could really hit a ball, but I had no idea what that looks like in the flesh. It is hugely impressive and a little bit intimidating.

The day built nicely and one of the very few Europeans to have made the cut won the championship on the last green. This I found out from the news as after about four hours I decided to avoid the public transport nightmare that would have occurred had the event been in London and have a beer on a beach one more ferry ride away.

Anyway, all of that is by way of an explanation why this week's wine N (2013) is Ninth Island Chardonnay, 2012, from Pipers Brook Vineyards in Tasmania. $26.99 (~£16.20) and not made from Nosiola, as I had hoped.

Ninth Island is a brand and I found a Sauvignon Blanc alongside the Chardonnay. I avoided the SB because I was about to eat some cheesy pasta and wanted something softer and more rounded to drink with it.

The first observation is the wine is almost completely colourless, with the exception of a slight lime green tinge, which should have been a clue. The flavour was quite intense, if hard to identify. I seem to find my myself thinking 'crisp green apples' fairly frequently and this could be because that's what a lot of young and highly acidic wines really taste of, or it could be that I don't eat enough other fruits. Or any fruits, including crisp green apples, come to that.

It didn't go well with the pasta. Too sharp (refreshing?) and none of the smooth feel that I had hoped for even if the label did tell me it was unoaked. It was mineral, but not in the way the Chardonnays of Chablis are, and I was left thinking that I could have had a much more enjoyable experience with a bulk blend like Yellow Tail. May the producer please forgive me, but £16 in the UK can get you a pretty decent wine.

I wanted to like it because it came from Tasmania which, I have read, produces some great cool climate Pinot Noir, but I wasn't allowed Pinot Noir by the rules of my game and so I will have to wait until the red N comes around. Alternatively I could just try one anyway. It is my game after all and I make the rules.

Life will not get easier next week as I search for a red O.