Zonnebloem Chardonnay 2009

I wanted a decent, affordable Chardonnay and couldn't be bothered going into the supermarket. On my high street when I get out of the tube Oddbins is closest. In truth, I don't shop there much - they can't really compete with Waitrose (about 2 minutes further up the street) in terms of price, but they do offer an alternative selection. The manager there knows me, and I feel bad not going in more often.

Either way, I wasn't coming out empty-handed. There haven't been too many South African Chardonnays I haven't liked (possibly none). I don't drink them very often, but I usually go away impressed. This was £7.49, and the manager even gave it his seal of approval.

I liked it. It wasn't overly powerful or anything, but it had that meaty Chardonnay character with a touch of oak, and also the requisite tropical fruit flavours - a combination that makes it worthwhile in my opinion, especially at this price.

Zonnebloem

Chardonnay 2009

Stellenbosch, South Africa

Oddbins

£7.49

3/5

Domaine de la Motte Chablis Cuveé Vieilles Vignes 2008

I was sent this wine in the post from Burgundy Wines (I think), as a result of not being able to honour an invitation to the 24th Annual Chablis Contest in London. In a remarkable coincidence, it happened to be the wine of a producer that I had recently discovered.

The producer is Domaine de la Motte, and I recently blogged about one of their Premier Cru wines.

This wine, the cuveé Vieilles Vignes, is not a Premier Cru but it is still a wine of quality. It has a rich, almost meaty nose, and a very fresh, crisp acidic palate. I think this may be one for the cellar.

I wouldn't say I'm a huge Chablis fan - I prefer oaked Chardonnay which isn't the norm in Chablis. If I want a crisp, refreshing white wine there are lots of other wines I'd go to first, but the wines of this producer impress me.

Domaine de la Motte

Chablis Cuveé Vieilles Vignes

AOC Chablis, Burgundy, France

3.5/5

Dona Paulina Chardonnay 2009

This is the last of my wines from the uh, budget-priced Dona Paulina range from the Wine Society. So far I haven't really enjoyed any of them, and this is no exception.

The problem with these cheaper wines is they don't have varietal character. This could have been anything. It wasn't offensive. It tasted like wine, but what kind of wine? Who knows? If someone handed me a glass of this in a pub I would have struggled - it could have been a Pinot Grigio, a Sauvignon Blanc, a blend, a Chardonnay, etc. It's just generic and boring.

Yes, it's cheap. Yes, it's not totally disgusting. For £2 more you can do much better.

Dona Paulina

Chardonnay 2009

Casablanca Valley, Chile

The Wine Society

£4.75

2/5

Domaine de la Motte Chablis Premier Cru Beauroy 2006

This wine has me interested in Chablis again. I tasted it at a tasting party we had with some friends, and one of the group had brought it back from France. The people who brought it kindly offered to buy some more if anyone was interested, so I took them up on it.

It's a Chablis from the Beauroy Premier Cru vineyard. It's oaked (unlike a lot of Chablis), which adds some welcome complexity. I prefer oaked Chardonnay, and previous attempts at Chablis were met with mostly indifference on my part.

Toasty vanilla oak, rich fruit, and good acidity sums it up. Chardonnay at its best.

Domaine de la Motte

Chablis Premier Cru Beauroy 2006

Burgundy, France

FromVinyardsDirect

£13.95

4/5

Louis Jadot Meursualt 2007

Sainsbury's has come up with the deal of the year. This wine normally goes for about £25, and it's on for half-price. That's not inflated either - this is proper wine.

Everything adds up here, almost. Louis Jadot is a good name. 2007 was a good vintage. It's a Meursault.

We loved it - slightly buttery (unsalted apparently), long, good acid. Would like to drink this stuff all the time. Great at £12. Wouldn't pay £25 - I think it's over-priced. I have had new-world Chardonnays for much less that I'm happy with. That's what this stuff costs though - deal with it.

Louis Jadot

Meursault 2007

Burgundy, France

Sainsbury's

~£12 (~£25)

4/5

Fairleigh Estate Chardonnay 2008

I took advantage of Majestic's new policy of allowing a minimum 6 bottle in-store purchase the other day. They currently have a sale on New Zealand wines so I picked up a few whites.

This Chardonnay was one of them. In general New Zealand whites are a favourite of mine. I had no reason to think this one was any good, except it had good reviews from the punters on Majestic's website. It was also on for £5.99.

It's quite good actually. I wouldn't say it's my ideal Chardonnay - it doesn't have the smooth buttery oak that I like. It's more fruit driven, but instead of the watery pina colada that this price range normally serves up, this is rich and flavourful - a class above.

This is actually produced by Wither Hills.

Fairleigh Estate

Chardonnay 2008

Marlborough, New Zealand

Majestic

£5.99 when you buy 2 (£7.99)

3.5/5

Petaluma Picadilly Valley Chardonnay 2005

The Piccadilly Valley is located in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Petaluma was started in 1976, and the grapes for this Chardonnay come from 7 different vineyards nearing 30 years of age.

When I drink a Chardonnay, this is what I want it to taste like. Toasty, honeyed flavours, smooth, buttery texture and a hint of spicy oak that's well integrated with the fruit. I bought this from Sainsbury's, which can sometimes offer more than the usual half-price plonk for an offer. If your local branch has a fine wine section, it's worth checking out for good deals such as this one.

Petaluma

Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2005

Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Sainsbury's

£12.99 (£15.99)

4/5

Wither Hills Chardonnay 2008

This wine impressed me at a New Zealand Wine Society tasting a couple of years ago (not sure what the vintage was though). It stood out among a sea of Sauvignon Blanc, and I finally got around to buying some.

It's a fairly tropical expression of Chardonnay. What I mean by that is its main flavour signature is one of pineapples instead of the buttery oaky type that I normally prefer. Not normally my thing, but this has an intensity and richness about it that I really like.

Wither Hills

Chardonnay 2008

Wairau Valley, Malborough, New Zealand

The Wine Society

3.5/5

Joseph Drouhin Rully Premier Cru 2007

This was supposed to be a bit of a splash-out wine for me. At £12.99 it's not something I would normally buy, except for a special occasion. Embarrassingly, when I was looking at this wine in the shop I didn't know where in Burgundy the appellation of Rully was, however I had heard good things about the producer, so that was enough for me.

Rully is part of the Cote Chalonnaise, which I've mentioned before as a region for good value wines. They may not be the superstars of Burgundy, but they are affordable and can be quite good. So far I've only been impressed with the reds, as other whites from this region (i.e. Montagny) I've found a bit lacking in character and depth, and sadly this is no exception, although it's not a bad wine.

It has a soft, oily texture and a very slight toastiness to it. Elegant but no great complexity or depth. I normally wouldn't complain but for £12.99 I expected a bit more.

Joseph Drouhin

Rully Premier Cru 2007

Rully Premier Cru AOC, Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France

Waitrose

£12.99

3/5

Malcolm Creek Chardonnay 1999

Here's another bin-end from El Vino. This time it's a 10 year old Chardonnay from Australia.

El Vino is currently selling the 2001 vintage of this wine for £13.50, which means the 1999 here has been relegated to the bargain bin. If the 2001 is worthy to sell, surely the 1999 can't be too far behind? And for £3.95...

The wine is gorgeous. A deep yellow gold colour in the glass shows its age. On the nose though is where the quality shows, with intense, rich aromas of melon and caramel. The palate shows similar characteristics, along with some vanilla and a lingering, nutty finish.

I guess this is near the end of its life-span, but it's by no means over the hill. It's definitely showing secondary characteristics brought on by bottle age, but the fruit character is still strong and pronounced.

The odd thing about these bin-ends at El Vino is they put them in the front window with a sign on them saying 'Cooking Wine'. When I asked about this, they just told me that they were bin ends. Who on earth would want to buy a wine labelled 'Cooking Wine'? Why not just call them 'bin ends'? My only guess is that they can't guarantee the quality, and I suppose that's fair enough because some of the bottles may have gone off, but at £3.95 who cares?

Anyway, this stuff isn't exactly flying off the shelves and I'm happy about that - it means I can buy it all!

Malcolm Creek

Chardonnay 1999

Adelaide Hills, Australia

El Vino

£3.95 (bin end. 2001 currently selling for £13.50)

4/5

Saintsbury Caneros Unfiltered Chardonnay 2007

Like Tim in his recent review of a Chardonnay, I enjoy this grape when it is aged in oak. Also like that wine, this version from the Saintsbury winery in California is aged and fermented in oak, completes malolactic and is aged on the lees. This wine also comes from the Caneros region of Napa in California, an area that has developed a good reputation for Chardonnay.

I REALLY liked this wine. There is a heck of a lot to say about this but I will keep it brief. It's bursting with flavours, is buttery, silky and mellow, with a digestive biscuit finish. There are hints of pear and a looooong finish. There is real depth here and the flavours are well integrated to give a deeply satisfying wine. I would look for this again that’s for sure.

It’s not cheap though – retailing online at somewhere between £15-20. But I wager that this one is worth it...

Saintsbury
Chardonnay 2007 unfiltered
Caneros, Napa Valley, California
Online merchants
£15-20
4/5

Errazuriz Max Reserva Chardonnay 2006

I've been trying a lot of different Chardonnays recently. I'm sort of getting into them, and trying to work out my favourite style. I lean towards the oaky, buttery style. I think that Chardonnay definitely benefits from the oak treatment - it's full bodied character is nicely complemented by spicy oak flavours, and done well it makes a delicious combination.

Another contributing factor to the smooth, buttery style is malolactic fermentation. This wine features both oak treatment (fermentation and ageing take place in oak vessels) and malolactic fermentation. The wine is also left to age on its lees for added complexity.

The result is a complex wine that is great value for the price. When chilled it has a strong melon nose and flavour, along with hints of spicy oak. When it warms up a little bit it becomes a different beast altogether. It takes on a bit of a funky character (I hate that word, but it seems appropriate here). It develops an almost meaty nose, with layers of fruit and spice on the palate, finishing with good length and complexity.

I can't remember exactly what I paid for this - I got it from the Waitrose World of Wine Showcase for I think around £6 or £7. It regularly goes for £9.99 I believe. This is going onto my list of favourite under-£10 Chardonnays.

Errazuriz

Max Reserva Chardonnay 2006

Casablanca Valley, Chile

Waitrose

£9.99

3.5/5

Les Quatres Clochers Chardonnay Réserve 2007

I frequently find that I need a Chardonnay, and I don't have any. It's not something I usually stock up on, and I really have no excuse not to do so. Some food just requires it - anything with a cream sauce, risotto, chicken, pasta carbonara, etc. I usually have to run out and get some, instead of grabbing one from my "cellar".*

A little while ago Tesco had an offer where you could trade in your clubcard vouchers for Wine Club vouchers. You had to type in the voucher codes in their website, and you would receive Wine Club vouchers in the post, worth double the original value. Mine were due to expire in early September, so I had to use them up, and fast.

I had read about this Chardonnay previously when it was on offer, but they had run out of stock. It's now back in stock, so I decided to try it out.

My other choice (since I had to buy 12 bottles, and they only come in cases of 6), was Colomé Torrentes, a Decanter Trophy-winning Argentinean white. I have yet to try it.

Back to the Chardonnay. It's from Limoux, a region in the Languedoc probably more famous for its sparkling wine. It's pretty good stuff - medium bodied with a touch of spicy oak. It's elegant and nicely textured.

This wine got a few accolades in the press - but I'm wondering if that was for the 2006 vintage (as advertised on Tesco's website) rather than the 2007 (as I received in my delivery). 2006 was a better vintage in Burgundy apparently. However I don't mean to leave you guessing, for this price this is highly recommended.

*By "cellar" I mean wine rack in my bedroom, which is in the basement.

Sieur d'Arques

Les Quatres Clochers Chardonnay Réserve 2007

Limoux AOC, Languedoc, France

Tesco

£7.11 (online)

3/5

Denbies Hillside Chardonnay 2006

You know, English wine is really not too bad. I'm a big believer in buying local, and would have no problem drinking English white and sparkling wines more often. Except for the price.

This goes for £13.50 on Denbies online shop, and it's just not worth the money. It's not bad - good fruit with some spicy oak. I think it's oak anyways - there is no mention of oaking on the label, or on the website. They mention that they use French and English oak, but on what products they don't say. Is this oaked? If so, it's not well integrated - the fruit and oak seem to be separated - the fruit detectable first, followed by an oaky finish.

It's better than £5 supermarket plonk, but doesn't justify its price tag.

Denbies

Hillside Chardonnay 2006

Dorking, Surrey, England

£13.50 (online)

3/5

Andes Peaks Reserva Chardonnay 2008

I was in The Grape Shop today, and I asked the proprietor for a good Chardonnay. I took the cheapest one he recommended because I was looking for an everyday-type wine, and it was this Chilean Chardonnay from the Casablanca Valley.

I found this wine a bit odd. It has the creamy texture of an oak-aged Chardonnay, but the nose and palate show some of the grassy, green characteristics of a Sauvignon Blanc. At first I was half-wondering if they got the label wrong. As it warmed up though, you get some more traditional citrus and pear flavours, and also some starchy (rice) hints.

Initally a bit weird, but overall pretty good.

Andes Peaks

Chardonnay Reserva 2008

Casablanca Valley, Chile

The Grape Shop

£7.75

3/5

Bouchard Ainé & Fils, White Burgundy 2008

I needed a Chardonnay for Spaghetti Carbonara so I just decided to try this, a generic white Burgundy that was 25% off at Waitrose.

A pretty decent wine, although I wasn't bowled over by its character. A bit of white stone fruit with good acidity, it did the trick with the spaghetti. It would make a good everyday food wine.

Bouchard Ainé & Fils

White Burgundy 2008

AOC Bourgogne, France

Waitrose

£5.99 (25% off)

3/5

Oyster Bay Chardonnay 2008

I bought this from Sainsbury's at the same time I bought this. I had wanted to try it for a while now, but just never got around to it. As usual, the offer price drew me to it (£5.99 down from £8.99).

This is a decent wine. It has good acidity and a well rounded body of fruit. This style of wine isn't what I'd normally drink, it just doesn't really do it for me. I find it a bit neutral and lacking in character. Sipping away at it though, I think I could get used to it - it's not without its merits. It's a useful food wine at a good price (the offer price that is), and it would be a good wine to serve if you needed a white and were in a pinch.

Oyster Bay

Chardonnay 2008

Marlborough, New Zealand

Sainsbury's

£5.99 (£8.99)

3/5

McGuigan Bin No. 156 Chardonnay 2007

I've been seeing a lot of McGuigan recently. They are a brand that seems to have been increasing in visibility for the last few months (maybe years?) in the places that I shop. They have their own range of wines, and they produce some own-label stuff for the supermarkets as well.

My first taste of McGuigan was a Shiraz (I think it was this one) that I had bought for plonk, and wasn't terribly impressed - it was pretty boring. I have basically avoided them ever since, lumping them into the "mass market plonk" category along with the likes of Jacobs Creek, etc. But because I can't resist half price offers, and also because I was specifically looking for a Chardonnay, I though I would give this a try. At £4.99 it's hard to go wrong.

Well, I didn't go wrong, but this was pretty dull as well. Dull as in "technically correct, but boring". Perhaps it's just a matter of taste really. I like my Chardonnays buttery, malolactic-fermented, vanilla-spiced and complex. This is more along the likes of acidic, crisp and (somewhat) fruity. I'm wondering if a couple more years in the bottle to tame the acidity would improve it, but not sure if it has the fruit and depth to keep up. Again, nothing wrong with it but just not really to my liking. For that reason, I wouldn't buy it again, but I especially wouldn't pay the full price of £10 for it.

And whoever thinks new world wine labels are simpler than old-world, think again. What does "Bin No. 156" mean? Judging by the (full) price and the description on the label, this is some sort of quasi-premium offering. Keeping track of all the "bin" numbers and such, for each Australian producer (i.e. Penfolds) surely isn't any easier than memorizing a region and, perhaps, a vineyard in Burgundy.

McGuigan

Bin No. 156 Chardonnay 2007

New South Wales, Australia

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

2.5/5

Mt. Difficulty Chardonnay 1999

Went to Bedales in Spitalfields for lunch today. There were 3 of us, and the idea was to get a nice bottle of wine and some food. The wine on the restaurant wine list wasn't very interesting (at first glance anyways), and there was also the ability to buy wine from their shop to drink in house (with a corkage fee of £8). We decided to get something from the shop.

After a good 15 minutes trying to decide what wine to get, I was nominated to choose and I decided on this New Zealand Chardonnay. My rationale was: good producer, interesting vintage (10 years old) and figured a Chardonnay would be a safe match with whatever food we ended up getting.

The waiter, to be fair, did warn us that there was a risk of it being over the hill, and despite that I decided to try it anyways. I'm glad I did, because it was a lovely wine. Quite mellow and smooth, with some good fruit remaining, and nice spicy, vanilla oak. It also had a nice bit of butteriness to it. One of our party remarked that it had probably lost a bit on the finish, but nonetheless we all thought it was very good.

I thought it may have been a bit overpriced at first, but it was an interesting wine, and I don't think £24 is paying over the odds for a good, well made Chardonnay, especially if it's been cellared for 10 years.

Mt. Difficulty

Chardonnay 1999

Central Otago, New Zealand

Bedales

£24 (and change)

4/5

Blason de Bourgogne Montagny 1er Cru 2007

This white Burgundy is from the appellation of Montagny in the Côte Chalonnaise.  The Côte Chalonnaise is known for less expensive (and hence less impressive) wines than other areas in Burgundy, both red and white.  There are bargains to be found though, although I wouldn't say this is one of them.

The wine isn't bad, but I expected more for the price (£15.99, £7.99 on offer).  It has a nice smooth, creamy character, but very  little in the way of flavour.  So little in fact, that I'm struggling to come up with anything else to say about it, except I would have been pretty annoyed if I had paid full price for it (which I never would have).  There are better Chardonnays to be had for less.

I'm giving it a 3, as it's not bad and could even be marginally enjoyable with a meal.  Usually a 3 means I woud buy it again, but in this case I wouldn't bother, I think it's too overpriced, and too dull even for the offer price £7.99.

Blason de Bourgogne

Montagny 1er Cru 2007

Montagny, Burgundy, France

Tesco

£7.99 (£15.99)

3/5