Back at eno again for a Chardonnay rematch, this time with four.

Previously, a Chablis from Hervé Azo faced off against the Delaire from Stellenbosch (along with one from California).

This time, I spotted the Chablis and the Delaire and thought a retaste would be a good idea to see if the wines or my taste had changed.

In tonight’s taste-off:

  1. Chablis, 2006 (€19)
  2. Pernand-Vergelesses, 2006 (€26)
  3. Delaire, 2004 (€14.99)
  4. Mâcon-Chardonnay, 2004 (€13)

Hervé Azo, Chablis, ’06

  • Smells: light and flintly
  • Tastes: Dry, crisp, good acidity with a distinctive minerality
  • Verdict: since last trying it, I’ve got more into drinking whites, so I think I appreciate it more now than I did three months ago

Pernand-Vergelesses, Côte-d’Or, ’06

From the south (Beaune) of the Côte-d’Or

  • Smells: very tropical, pineapples dominate and so completely different to the Chablis
  • Tastes: clean, smooth and buttery texture
  • Verdict: this one is a real find, although a little pricey.

Delaire Chardonnay, ’04

  • Smells: very tropical, intensive aroma of pine needles and melted butter
  • Tastes: smooth and dry, nice soft creamy texture
  • Verdict: When tasting this, I had forgotten I’d had it before until the pine needles came back. As then, this is still good, though not necessarily my favourite

Mâcon-Chardonnay, ’04

Chardonnay isn’t just a grape, it’s also a town in the Mâconnais district, close to Lugny and Uchizy, which is what the label refers to. You’ll often see Mâcon-Lugny and Mâcon-Uchizy on wine labels and Mâcon-Chardonnay is another from the locality.

  • Smells: tropical fruits with fresh tree sap
  • Tastes: medium dry, smooth, well balanced and long lasting.

Verdict

All four are really good Chardonnays, but with completely different styles – I learned why in my WSET course. It’s hard to pick a favourite.

In terms of flavour, the pricey Pernand-Vergelesses was the best, but when taking price into consideration, it’s the Mâcon-Chardonnay. All in all there are no losers here, all four are very decent.