The Best Chardonnay
South Africa – Vinum Rating
Vinum's new Chardonnay tasting shows that South Africa places great importance on this wine variety.
A few weeks ago, 25 Chardonnays from eleven countries were put on the table. They were Chardonnays from all over the world, ranging from 30 to 100 Swiss francs. According to the magazine: "producing invigoratingly fresh, lively, and yet complex wines like never before. In other words: what we recommend here are perfect summer wines with both lightness and depth."
The magazine emphasizes: "during the VINUM panel tasting, several tasters noted that the wines presented themselves so invigoratingly and freshly that it was difficult to spit them out. And that one inevitably had to think of seafood and other dishes that would harmonize excellently with these wines."
Chardonnay for everyone and from everywhere
In the recently published article, the magazine notes that experts have a positive impression of Chardonnay, as consumers also get what they expect from these wines: "namely, crisp, lively freshness, a lot of character, and often a pronounced minerality, mostly in the form of notes such as flint, graphite, wet stone, slate, salt, or smoke."
They also add that good Chardonnays no longer come only from one place or a specific part of the world, but that there are incredible Chardonnays with character in all parts of the world.
The Evolution of Chardonnay
The last 30 years have been crucial for the development of Chardonnay. Before the 1980s, wines from certain regions always topped the rankings. From this decade onwards, producing regions such as Australia or South Africa took the lead and established themselves in the world of Chardonnay.
Today, the situation has changed. Vinum points out: "Out of the total of 25 wines tasted, the jury could only clearly identify whether nine were European growths or wines from the New World. For 16 wines, the classification was not possible or incorrect."
Wines continue to evolve over the years. What happens to the alcohol content? According to Vinum Magazin: "the wines have generally slimmed down further in recent years; on average, the wines in this sample had an alcohol content of 13.5 percent by volume."
The Result
One of the most important and interesting factors of this tasting was that the wines were too strongly influenced by wood with notes such as coconut, caramel, or butterscotch. What winemakers are aiming for today is pure straightforwardness and crispness. Vinum mentions: "Some wines are now so puristic that one almost wishes for a small pinch of the former opulence back."
The highest ratings were achieved by Chardonnays from Switzerland, Austria, and South Africa.
Attached are the ratings for Lismore: The Chardonnay that was among the best in the tasting with 18.5 points.
LISMORE
Chardonnay Estate Reserve – 2020
18.5 Points Vinum
The 2020 Chardonnay Reserve Estate is the only reserve wine whose grapes survived the 2018 fire. It has a magnificent bouquet that possesses the quality of a Premier Cru Burgundy, with wonderful, brilliantly defined aromas of citrus and orange blossom and a hint of blackcurrant leaves. On the palate, it is very well-balanced and shows wonderful equilibrium, combined with impressive concentration. The finish has true depth and substance (which others in this vintage lacked). An excellent, world-class Chardonnay.
LISMORE
Chardonnay Estate Reserve – 2020
CHF 59.00
South Africa is vast, and there are a large number of Chardonnay wines worth tasting and enjoying. All of them are characterized by their character and quality. We invite you to taste until you find your favorite.
All prices in CHF incl. VAT. Daily price as of 29.07.2022.
Offers valid while stocks last. Errors and price changes reserved.
