DREAM CAR, DREAM WINE

To continue the wine/car theme my dream car is Maserati Quattroporte. This elegant and understated car, to me, represents the best that the Italian designers can do. This is a powerful beast virtually disguised as a family sedan - no flashy Ferrari or ostentatious Lamborguini this.
The 4.2 litre, 6-speed would surprise any boy-racers that want to take you on.
Less than 6,000 of these are made each year.

To match this car my dream wine would be Le Montrachet. This rich, luxuriant Chardonnay has aromas of honeysuckle and wood spice followed by concentrated, and complex, silky flavours.
It is very rare with bottles produced measuring in the thousands rather than millions.
It has been said that when drinking Le Montrachet one should be on ones knees with head bowed. This is the Queen of Chardonnay and I am lucky to have drunk this (with Lynn who insisted on having half!).

Unfortunately Maseratis are very expensive (over $200,000) and Le Montrachet will set you back over $400 a bottle. I've drunk the Le Montrachet and sat in a Quattroporte but won't be buying either in the near future.

What I do have is my 1998 Rover 620ti which I consider a poor man's Quattroporte (and it also has 4 doors!).
The Rover 620ti (turbo) is a rare and understated car.
It has super performance due to the turbo but looks like a family sedan - again one that surprises the boy-racers in their Imprezza's and various Evo's when they take off at the lights. We have rarely been beaten (not that we are reckless of course).
The 4.2 litre, 295kw Quattroporte has a fantastic 5.6 second 0 to 100 kph performance yet the mere 2 litre, 149kw 620ti achieves 0 to 100 kph in a mere 7 seconds. As I said Maserati Quattroportes will cost over $200k, my Rover 620ti was $48k new in 1998.

I won't spend (anymore) $400 for a bottle of wine so I match my Rover with a very good New Zealand Chardonnay - Rose Tree Cottage.
This Gisborne-sourced wine comes from a single estate (Dixon Estate) that has a great track record having produced many Gold Medal and Trophy winning wines over the years. I love it and so does Lynn (unfortunately). It is available from good wine shops for about $25.
The name 'Rose Tree Cottage' comes from a pioneering 2 story cottage in Rapaura, Marlborough owned by William Robinson my great-great grandfather, the site now of Drylands winery. William owned over 2000 acres of (now) prime Marlborough vine-land in Rapaura (there is of course a great Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and a Marlborough Pinot Noir in the Rose Tree Cottage line up).