It’s all about Chardonnay, 4th April 2014

The inviting sound of Champagne bottles being opened greeted our customers for this evening’s Chardonnay tasting.

Champagne Palmer Blanc des Blancs 2006 provided a perfect opener – it is 100% Chardonnay, offering a gorgeous balance between toasty brioche and the zing of citrus with floral & honey notes.
Displaying good acidity but with an underlying creamy smoothness, no wonder it’s an award winner: Decanter World Wine Awards 2012 – Best Vintage Champagne Trophy Winner and Winner of International Trophy for Best Sparkling in Show

A very classy, elegant Champagne at £31.20 per bottle

Next we tried Montagny Michel Andreotti Premier Cru 2011
Matured in tank for 9 months without any oak, the delicate minerality and lemon freshness shows through with a pleasing level of complexity.
Montagny wines often have a little more body and slightly higher acidity than the whites from other nearby appellations due to its warmer location and the high level of limestone in the local soils, which also brings minerality to the wines.

Great as an aperitif with lightly smoked salmon
Currently on offer at 15% off as a wine of the week, down to £12.11 from £14.25, we are down to the last few cases of this excellent Chardonnay.

Number three was Chablis Cotes de Lechet Premier Cru Bernard Defaix 2011.
Classic Chablis, produced from one slope of a single village (Milly) the mineral flintiness provides a lengthy finish. Very smooth, with notes of lime, grapefruit and green pepper.
A perfect match for seafood or fish with buttery or creamy sauces. £18.00 per bottle.

Departing the Old World, we headed to the Southern Hemisphere to sample L’Artista Chardonnay 2012 from Chile.

This wine displays tropical fruitiness on the nose – pineapple and peaches – with a full mouth feel and some citrus notes. The finish is impressively long and clean; a fab match with white meats or fish, it is impressive value at only £7.25 per bottle.

Metaphorically crossing the Andes to neighbouring Argentina brought us to our penultimate wine, Terrazas Chardonnay 2011.

This is a Chardonnay with Altitude! (The vines grow at an elevation of 1200m above sea level) The resulting hand harvested results in a wine that reveals an intense, fruity nose with peach and apricot combining with delicate floral notes. Spending 9 months in new French oak barrels softens and adds vanilla, but not too much.
The result is a great example of New and Old World style and know-how.
Bringing the evening to a close was the South African Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2011

Located in one of the most southerly wine Estates in Africa and one of the closest to the sea the cool, maritime climate produces wines from low-yielding vines.The entire process – from hand-harvesting to maturing and bottling takes place on the 52 Hectare estate.
Pear and lime flavours figure in this complex, minerally wine. Long finish, an elegant, yet intense wine once again combines the best of both New and old Worlds.