A raft of Chardonnays


Slightly tardy in some of posting these but got there in the end…

Cheysson Bojo BlancDomaine Cheysson ‘L’Exception’ Beaujolais Blanc 2014, Burgundy, France (£13.99 Laithwaites)
There’s and almost salty tangy to this wine, which is crisp, brisk and reminds me more of Burgundies from further north. Taut citrus, light peach, very tasty now, but has at least another 2-3 years life ahead of it. S-

Jadot MaconLouis Jadot Mâcon Villages 2014, Burgundy, France (£12.00 Asda, Budgens, Whole Foods Market Camden, Ellies Cellar, Luvians, Bin 21, The Devine Wine Company, Village Wines (Amersham), Eynsham Cellars, The Strand Wine Company, Ann et Vin Ltd, Islington Wine, Grape Sense, Famous Wine, Grayshott Wines)
Good simple fruity, slightly nutty style, plenty of flesh, but has the freshness and light salty/aldehydic edge to rein it all in. B(+)

JobardAntoine Jobard Bourgogne Blanc 2011, Burgundy, France (£23.99 31dover.com)
Crisp, salty, nutty and lithe, one of those wines that’s as much about texture as flavour, not hugely fruity but beautifully proportioned, a lovely mix of richness and tension. S

LitmusLitmus Element 20 2011, Surrey, England (£22 Harvey Nichols, Butlers Wine Cellar, Amps Fine Wines, Hedonism)
Takes time to uncurl, but with time, almost chalky citrus characters emerge along with a smoky elderflower character that says to me ‘underripeness’. Some of the buttery character of malolactic too – OK, but I taste the winemaking rather than the soil. B(+)

Malandes Les CLosDomaine des Malandes Chablis Grand Cru ‘Les Clos’ 2012, Burgundy, France (£37.50 Hennings)
Lovely mealy tension, ripe but refined, with a touch of oak and a yeasty, flor-like character adding interest to the ripe (cooked) apple and rhubarb flavours. Lush in the right places, an excellent combination of depth and freshness, I want to drink a lot of this, but I’d also love to see it with another five years in bottle. S+

Bouchard MontagnyBouchard Père & Fils Montagny Premier Cru 2012, Burgundy, France (£19.95 S H Jones (see comment below), Lancelot Wines, Upton Upon Severn Wines, John Kelly Wines, R Campbell & Sons, Evington’s, Chislehurst Wines, Larner Bros, Vin Est, Hoults, Coruss Retail, General Wine Co, Liquorice (Essex), Bodnant Welsh Food, Anglo American Services, Dartmouth Wine Company, The Wine Shop (Winscombe), Helmsley Wines, Lewis & Cooper, Lindley Fine Wines, The Village Vine, Fenwicks)
Lightly floral, pineapple and apple to the fore with a slightly nutty/yeasty edge in there too, good bounce and balance, ripe but always fresh, lovely easy drink, although maybe not as complex as the price tag would suggest. B+

TumbarumbaMarks & Spencer Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2014, Australia (£12 Marks & Spencer)
OK wine, but while the gentle apricot, ripe lemon and green apple flavours are decent enough, it has that ever-so-slightly scrawny feel of a wine that’s been picked before it’s fully ripe in order to keep it fresh. So in the end good, but could have been better. B

Picq ChablisGilbert Picq Chablis Premier Cru Vosgros 2013, Burgundy, France (£22 Fields Morris & Verdin)
Quite fleshy for Chablis, with a note of ripe pear in with the apple and citrus flavours, some stony mineral tension and a spicy, almost honeyed finish. S


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