A good chardonnay displays fruit and nutty, creamy or buttery characters that come from the young wine ageing on spent yeast lees, as well as the toasty, butterscotch and sometimes vanilla undertones from oak barrels in which it is fermented and/or aged. But, as always, it's harmony that indicates a fine wine.
BEST UNDER $20
$19.50
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
Fragrant with stone and citrus fruit to the fore, a hint of oatmeal and a lively finish.
Simple, fresh and very drinkable.
$19.95
Three stars
Average value
A creamy wine with hints of peach and citrus, undertones of toasted cashews, and a lively, fresh finish.
$20
Three stars
Average value
There's lots of everything in this chardonnay - oodles of sweet ripe stone fruit and citrus, lots of toasty vanilla oak, undertones of butterscotch and nuts and a lively finish. A tad confected, and a bit like vanilla and hokey pokey ice cream, but if you like lots of oak and fruit, this is for you.
$30
Three and a half stars
Average value
A mouth-filling wine with floral and herbal aromas, a lovely toasty, creamy nuttiness reminiscent of creme caramel underlying the the stone fruit. A stylish wine, well integrated and balanced with a lingering aftertaste.
$34
Four stars
Average value
A distinctive wine, pungent and full of flavour - floral, herbs, stone fruit, cape gooseberries, buttered toast with savoury undertones, but it is stylish, integrated and well balanced, with a long textural finish. A fine wine.
$35
Three and a half stars
Below average value
A flavoursome wine with a hint of smoky, spicy oak with a nutty undertone bolstering the fruit (ripe white peach), suggestions of toasty oatmeal and creme caramel on the lingering aftertaste, and a crisp, nicely balanced finish.
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations.