New World: Chardonnay, Australia
2016 Gold: 4 Silver: 4 Bronze: 5 Commended: 6
2015 Gold: 4 Silver: 8 Bronze: 5 Commended: 8
Watching the rebirth of Australian Chardonnay has been one of the plus points of this competition over the past five or six years. The disappearance of over-sweet tropical fruit and too much oak, and the appearance of fresher, more mineral styles has met with a growing chorus of approval from our tasters.
Moreover, what started as something of an oddity has now become an established style. Few of our judges were surprised to find leaner expressions of Chardonnay here, and the vast majority of them were delighted with what was in front of them. It was good, too, to see such a geographical spread of top medals – everywhere from Tasmania to Margaret River to Eden Valley and Victoria.
But (and there’s nearly always a ‘but’ in these matters) a few gentle caveats were also raised about the fact that some customers still, you know, actually like those richer, sweeter styles and might be somewhat confused to order an Aussie Chard, expecting a glass of something that tastes like Del Monte pineapple juice, only to be met with a neo Chablis acid-fest. Worth bearing in mind.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘The Margaret River flight were good wines. They were expensive, but they stood up to their price point, and they were true to the region.’ Jade Koch, team leader
‘The good wines are expensive but affordable.’ Charlie Young, Vinoteca
‘There was good variation. Some had a lot of oak, but there were more delicate wines as well. It did raise the question of what you want from Australian Chardonnay.’ Ian Howard, The White Hart Inn at Lydgate
‘From Australia, you want punchy fruit and creaminess, and you had that most of the time here. There’s a definite market in our place for wines at that £60-£70 level on a list.’ Timothy Connor, Bread Street Kitchen
‘There was some really good stuff here. The quality to price and freshness were very good for the money. The Australians have found a good style for themselves here I think.’ Carlos Ferreira, The Sign of the Don
‘I like both styles of Australian Chardonnay – the richer and the leaner. There’s definitely a case for saying that Australia can do both styles well. The problem would be the nasty confected wines – which they can occasionally slip into as well.’ Laura Rhys MS, team leader
‘There were issues of sulphur with quite a few of these. Australia should be past that.’ James Fryer, Portland
“There’s still a movement away from Chardonnay in the north. If they want it, people generally look for that more Chablis-like style.” Ian Howard, The White Hart Inn at Lydgate
“None of the wines were over-oaked and if you’d tasted them 10 years ago they might have been.” Charlie Young, Vinoteca
“I have some clients who do actively look for Australian Chardonnay, but it’s generally the cheaper, more fruit-driven styles that they want, not the expensive ambitious wines.” Tamas Czinki, Northcote