New World: Chardonnay, Australia
2019 Gold 3 Silver 10 Bronze 2 Commended 7
2018 Gold 5 Silver 7 Bronze 2 Commended 9
In terms of places on the Gold List this was rather disappointing. In fact, it was Australia’s worst performance with Chardonnay for several years. But take your eyes off the Golds and move down one level, and it’s a rather different story. That big bulge of Silvers suggests there were a lot of wines that the tasters really liked but that they elected to limit themselves in terms of places on the final list.
Certainly the feedback from our teams was positive enough throughout. They like the new mineral/citrus/reductive style of Australian Chardonnay, where the naturally ripe fruit is dialled back a bit and given a smoky rather than a sweet oaky twist.
Yes, one or two of our tasters expressed something of a hankering for the bigger, richer wines of yore, but generally this style found favour with our teams. A strong category that could easily have had another couple of Golds, but with plenty of wines to explore throughout the medal levels.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘You look to Australian Chardonnay for ripeness of the fruit and good expression of oak that’s well integrated – but I didn’t find those here. They were very shy with the oak, and there were some without oak.’ Raphael Thierry, Street XO
‘I thought these were all good, with some varietal character. They have that typicity, of stone fruit and peach character, and some oak, vanilla and clove aromas.’ Sylwester Piasecki, Zuma
‘At the lower price points there was a touch of sweetness and some smoky rubber notes, as well as one or two that were super-fresh and clean. When you went higher in price that smoky note was more restrained, and you started to find much more complexity. Price point definitely made a difference.’ Beatrice Bessi, 67 Pall Mall
‘Some amazing wines here, and they’re very useful in a restaurant. They match with spicy food, in something like our chicken cashew nuts dish with chillies.’ Elisa Soggia, Kai Mayfair
‘We had a wide range of styles, and freshness was more evident. The wines were showing quite well, and with some good prices. They hit this sub-£18 price point, and are really pleasant, easy-drinking wines.’ Andres Ituarte, team leader
‘There’s a freshness and crispness that you get from being so close to the sea that’s specific to Margaret River. It’s a good alternative to your classic white Burgundy, and still some great value for money.’ Andre Luis Martins, Cavalry & Guards Club