Chardonnay Shoot-Out

 Three great Chardonnays were pitted against each other, a Giaconda, a Leeuwin Estate, and a Meursault.  

Giaconda was perhaps the first Australian winery which modeled its Chardonnay on Burgundy principles. This 2010 Giaconda Chardonnay, looking back from today's perspective, looks old-fashioned, though. The structure is fine, but the wine feels heavily worked in terms of malolactic fermentation and oak treatment. This wine is quite broad. Previous fruit flavours have given way to honeycomb, almond and marzipan notes. The mouthfeel is good and the finish satisfying.

Score: 94/+

The Burgundy representative is a 2014 Remoissenet Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru 'Perrières'. This wine is more refreshing than some Meursault with fine citrus and pineapple fruit. It feels a little aged already, but has good drive and persistence in the mouth. The finish is long.

Score: 95/++

The 2010 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay is unmistakably Margaret River: white flower and warmer climate fruit flavours: ripe lemon, pineapple, passionfruit. However, the colour is still light, and the wine tastes fresh and young. This is a beautiful wine, full flavoured, yet dancing on the tongue: power and grace.

Score: 96/+++ 

And the winner is Leeuwin Chardonnay.

Domaine Buisson-Battault

Meursault is one of the most famous and prestigious regions for Chardonnay in the world. Interestingly, this subregion of Burgundy does not include any grand cru vineyards; however, there are a number of 1er cru vineyards, as shown on the map below.The Chardonnays of Meursault are known for being big, sometimes buttery, and built predominantly with new oak. As such, they are geared to the American palate and Robert Parker reviews. Does this reflect the terroir, which the Burgundians are so obsessed about? It is questionable, given the wines from Puligny-Montrachet are totally different and not far away.

The wines of Domaine Buisson-Battault are made in a more traditional way, with only 20% new oak applied. They are not the most fashionable nor the most expensive, and I was looking forward to taste four of the wines from the warm 2015 vintage.

The 2015 Buisson-Battault Meursault Vielles Vignes is quite a light wine, in the apple spectrum, a bit juicy and not much drive. Having said this, the dry extract lingers attractively on the palate (90 pts). The 1er Cru Porusots (see map) has much more depth and fruit concentration. It is also in the apple spectrum. The wine is more complex with its toasty flavours and fleshiness. The finish is smooth (94 pts). The 1er Cru Gouttes dÓr is broader, with less definition and the fruit is more exotic (peach) (91 pts). The 1er Cru Genevrieres comes from a rockier vineyard, and this translates into the wine. It is fresh, not a big wine, with apple and pear flavours, and good energy. There is minerality and a sour edge on the finish (94 pts).

This tasting raises as many questions as it answers. The wines are much lighter and fresher than the vintage and location would suggest. The 1er cru wines are all different, but how well do they reflect the terroir? I think the Genevrieres does - not sure about the others. In all cases, the winemaker influence is significant.   

International Chardonnay Tasting

In the recent international Cabernet tasting, the French wines were the clear winners. In this Chardonnay tasting, organised by a different group, the Australian top wines held their ground.

The top wines were
-  2007 Domaine des Comtes Lapon, Meursault-Perrières, tasting of green apple, with great length and beautifully integrated acidity (96/+++)
- 2014 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, white flower, apricot, weight and power (95/+++)
- 1998 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, earthy with truffles, still some acidity, but a bit tired (95/++)
- 2014 Benjamin Leroux Meursault 'Les Vireuils', great village wine on the high slopes. Very elegant, linear, but mouthfilling as well (94/+++)
-2015 Savaterre Chardonnay, citrus, stone fruit, orange peel, minerality, good line and length with lingering finish (94/+++)

The next group was good, too
-  2015 Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres, quite intense, a bit broad and oaky, good acidity (93/+)
- 2014 Felton Road Chardonnay, natural fermentation, grapefruit, marzipan, quite tight (92/++)
- 2015 Curly Flat Williams Crossing Chardonnay, lime, honey, stone fruit, quite rich, but lively acidity, great value for money (91/++)
- 2014 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Cru 'Vau de Vey', from an almost unknown site, not as refined as other 1er cru Chablis, but typical character, lime and minerality, finish a bit short (91/+)
- 2014 Giaconda Chardonnay, very golden, citrus up front, almond, caramelized, powerful (91/0)

Still quite good, but not in the same league
- 2016 Montalto Pennon Hill Chardonnay, citrus, fairly light, easy drinking (88/0)
- 2016 Woodlands Wilyabrup Chardonnay, citrus and white peach, a bit tight, but will open (89/+)
- 2015 Jean-Marc Brocard Petit Chablis, grean melon, salty, lean, minerality (88/0)
- 2014 Bruno Colin Bourgogne, flavours a bit plump, nutty, good mouthfeel (89/+)