A lovely set of wines from Jean-Marc Brocard Domaines Brocard Petit Chablis Sainte Anne 2008 (£10.99 Oddbins) Bracing young wine, fresh and flinty, with creamy citrus fruit and a briny note to the finish. B+ Chablis Domaine des Manants 2008 (£10.79-£13.49 Balls Brothers, House of Townend, SH Jones, Grapevine (Cockermouth), […]
Chardonnay
Tesco Finest Sonoma County Chardonnay 2006 (£9.99 Tesco) Ripe and oaky, but not OTT in either respect, this has freshness and zing missing in virtually all similarly priced competitors, touches of pineapples and peaches, with mealy nuttiness and just the right amount of toasty oak. B+ Wild Boy Chardonnay 2008, […]
Three Californian Chardonnays + a Burgundian interloper
Montes Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Curicó, Chile (£6.50 www.qpwines.com) Clean and fresh, slight lime and lemon jelly, zippy and zesty, with a touch of river pebble, a simple but honest style. C+ Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Leyda, Chile (£9.40 www.qpwines.com) A mixture of lushness, warmer and rounder, a touch […]
Three Chileans, One Washingtonian – all white
Blason de Bourgogne St Véran 2008 (£9.99 Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose) Quite lively aromas, with peach and citrus coming through strongly, but the wine is actually quite restrained. Simple but fresh and honest, nice drink and good value. B(+) Domaine Eugénie Carrion Chablis 2008 (£10.95 fromvineyardsdirect.com) Starts of rather dumb, but […]
Four white Burgundies
Is the best-known white wine grape in the world improved with a dollop of Viognier? Not necessarily, although the results can be interesting… Miguel Torres Cordillera Chardonnay 2008, Curico, Chile (£9.99 Grapevine, Nicholas Corke Fine Wines, Roberts & Speight) (15% Viognier in the blend) Gentle citrus, just-ripe peach and pear, […]
Chardonnay – better with or without Viognier?
A waltz through five Chardonn-ish wines From Wine Vids Domaine du Tariquet Côté Chardonnay/Sauvignon 2008, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne, France Quite tangy and smoky, with peachy, almost Mâcon-like Chardonnay characters sitting nicely with the crispness of Sauvignon. B+ Domaine du Tariquet Chenin/Chardonnay 2008, Vin de Pays des […]