Chardonnay
Prices:
Adam Bruntlett - Wine Buyer
H/Bottle
£7.50
H/Bottle 24 x 37.5cl 88cs
Bottle
£12.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 629cs
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer
Bottle
£12.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 86cs
Bottle
£17.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 170cs
Adam Bruntlett, Win Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
Bottle
£25.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl 294cs
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer
Bottle
£35.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl 50cs
Jasper Morris MW
This feels a world away from nearby Chablis: an exotic, pineapple, almost passion fruit, and tinned peach nose leads to a fulsome palate which is quite round and fat, yet still manages to retain its eponymous elegance.
Bottle
£8.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 21cs
H/Bottle
£11.75
H/Bottle 12 x 37.5cl 5cs
Daisy Gatt – Buying Assistant
Bottle
£11.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 8cs
Katherine Dart MW – Wine Buyer
Bottle
£11.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 3cs
This is an extremely approachable white with a lovely varietal expression – it’s classic Chardonnay, showing green apple and citrus on the nose. The palate displays more cool fruit flavours and has a lovely creamy texture, with a refreshing, vivacious finish.
Oliver Barton, Buying Assistant, Berry Bros. & Rudd.
Bottle
£11.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle
£12.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 59cs
H/Bottle
£13.30
Bottle
£13.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 9cs
Bottle
£13.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 39cs
Bottle
£14.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 69cs
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer Complex aromas of tropical and ripe citrus fruit plus a discreet nutty character (15% of this cuvée is oak aged). The palate’s fresh acidity and mineral core give little indication of the heat of the ’15 vintage. As ever, this is a hugely winsome, approachable cuvée from a winemaker whose surname is wholly appropriate.
Will Heslop, Buyer. Berry Bros. & Rudd.
Bottle
£17.25
Bottle
£17.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 6cs
Warm lemon and white peach aromas are followed by riper flavours of yellow apple and nectarine, accompanied by toasty notes of lees-ageing. Ripe but refined with good texture and length, this is exclusive to Berry Bros. & Rudd in the UK. Match with roast loin of pork, macaroni cheese, Gruyère cheese.
Bottle
£17.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 10cs
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer
Olivier and Corinne Merlin have been established in the Mâconnais village of La Roche Vineuse since 1987. Over the years they have bought the domaine which they originally rented, built a new cuverie, planted new vineyards locally and spread out into further appellations such as Pouilly-Fuissé and Moulin-à-Vent. Theirs has been one of the great success stories of the modern Mâconnais. They expect to be joined shortly by sons Théo and Paul. Having made his first wines in 1987, this year represents Olivier’s 30th vintage in La Roche Vineuse. It is fair to say that in this time he has contributed much to raising standards in the Mâconnais. Proof of his great skill as a winemaker came in the form of a bottle of 1990 Mâcon La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes, a highlight of a lunch at Berry Bros. & Rudd in July to mark Jasper Morris’s retirement.
Bottle
£17.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 103cs
Elegant and fresh, this Chardonnay is full of lemon citrus fruit with subtle notes of white flowers. These delicate notes are complemented on the palate with a hazelnut twist, while notes of brioche and toast (from fermentation in old barrels) add further complexity. This is a delicious, sophisticated Marlborough Chardonnay. Drink now to 2023.
Bottle
£17.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 43cs
Bottle
£18.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 5cs
Bottle
£19.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Jared Ehret, Private Account Manager
Bottle
£19.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer
Samuel has not only been able to take back his share of the family vineyards but he has also moved into some excellent premises which he has been refurbishing, in the heart of Chablis. It was good to find him in such a cheerful frame of mind. The long, slow vinification of his 2015s has done the wines a lot of good. We found a concentration of minerality and characteristic saline finishes.
Bottle
£19.95
100% chardonnay.
Cool & discreet.
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 8cs
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer
The legendary Louis Pinson himself retired in 1983, having made some fabulous oldstyle Chablis. His great-grand-daughter, Charlène, along with her father Laurent and her uncle Christophe are now in charge. There is a Rue Pinson in Chablis, dating back to an earlier generation when three Pinson brothers lived in identical houses on the street. Everything is hand-harvested, with sorting of the grapes both in the vineyard and at the winery. The wines are wild-fermented, mostly in stainless steel tanks, before barrel ageing, with the proportion of oak depending on the cuvée. Despite describing 2016 as a testing year, Laurent Pinson and his daughter Charlène are upbeat, declaring themselves very happy with the quality of the grapes and resultant wines. Volumes are down in many cases, and the limited-production Cuvée Mademoiselle has not been made this year.
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 17cs
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 20cs
10
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Chardonnay is the "Big Daddy" of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world. It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.