Australian chardonnay is certainly pursuing its own style, but at the end of the day the best going around are still made in France. That was for me the inescapable conclusion of the annual Cullen Chardonnay Tasting held at their Margaret River winery last Saturday. The theme of this year’s event was the global 2000 vintage, and Vanya Cullen’s team had exhaustively selected style-leading expressions from Burgundy, Chablis, the US, New Zealand, Italy and Australia. This was indeed a masked tasting, although prior to it, the participants were given the full list of the 21 wines included. Arriving late in an early-morning dash from Albany, I had no such list at my place, and therefore tasted the wines entirely blind. A third of the way through the tasting I was however made aware by Vanya Cullen which of the four wines came from Margaret River. Given that small amount of knowledge, this was virtually a true blind tasting for me. I did however identify during the tasting that the bottles of what I (correctly) assumed were Tyrrell’s and Giaconda were not in the freshest condition. When I later discovered that another of the wines was the Mount Mary, which I had tasted not so long previously, I made the same assumption. The other wines of which I was less immediately familiar did not have that luxury when it came to making the assessments. A couple of my immediate thoughts begin with the astonishingly good Gibbston Valley Reserve Chardonnay, handsomely the best Kiwi chardonnay I have ever tasted. Wonderfully youthful, smooth and harmoniously balanced, it was for me the surprise of the day. Another surprise was the extent to which the three American chardonnays from Beringer, Kistler and Mt Eden slotted into three of the four bottom rungs, broken only by the slowly fading Aldo Conterno Bussiador from Piedmonte. The American chardonnays shared a number of descriptors such as brassy, forward, spirity and sweet/confectionary. As a group, they were thick, concentrated, fast-developing and short-living. All five French wines, which included two cru Chablis and three wines from Meursault, finished easily in the top ten, which was made up by four Australians and the Gibbston Valley. As a group, these wines delivered pure chardonnay flavours, sensitively handled winemaking input (with the exception of the significantly more overt Leflaive), exceptional length and harmony. The Blain Gagnard went on forever, the Etienne Sauzet revealed many layers of flavour and texture, the Raveneau was pristine and deliciously austere and the Brocard’s floral perfume and minerality was definitive Chablis. Three of the top Australian chardonnays were from Margaret River itself, which is hardly surprising given its present status and the heat experienced by the eastern states during the 2000 vintage. Margaret River actually contributed four of the top thirteen wines, their concentrated grapefruit/melon/pineapple flavours, length of fruit sweetness and refreshing minerality serving as something of a hallmark in terms of regional character and consistency. Most surprising to me was the way in which the Leeuwin Estate wine has eased back, losing some abrasive young edges to reveal an unexpected (for me, at least) fluffiness and elegance. It’s just beginning what appears likely to be a very long journey. Of the other Australian chardonnays, those most likely to be mistaken for French were the Giaconda and the Mount Mary, although as I have suggested, I don’t believe the bottles I tasted fully did them justice. What most obviously set the Australian wines apart from the French were their intense fruit sweetness and flavour and the length to which the fruit sweetness persisted down the palate. What set the Australians aside from the Americans was not only their freshness and vitality, but also that the American wines presented were almost totally devoid of any fruit sweetness. The American wines, the most alcoholic as a group, would each possibly have been better and significantly fresher at this age if harvested earlier. The Italian wine was an admirable curio, but was totally outclassed by most of the wines on show. It went by quickly, but this was a memorable, important tasting. As I then set off to Perth, again a passenger of Ray Jordan, a Perth-based wine critic seemingly able to exist without sleep, I couldn’t help but wondering what all those who today shun chardonnay completely have resolved to miss out on. They only have themselves to blame. Tasting Summary 1st (19.5, 98) Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2000 (France) 2nd (19.3, 97) Domaine Blain Gagnard Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2000 (France) 3rd (19.0, 96) Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru ‘Les Folatieres’ 2000 (France) Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Premier Cru ‘Montee de Tonnerre’ 2000 (France) Gibbston Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2000 (NZ) 6th (18.9, 96) Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) 7th (18.8, 95) Cullen Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) 8th (18.7, 95) Domaine Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Bougros (France)Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) 10th (18.6, 95) Giaconda Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) 11th (18.5, 94) Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Pinot Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) Yarra Burn Bastard Hill Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) 14th (17.8, 92) Hardys Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) Mount Mary Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) 16th (17.5, 91) Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2000 Aust) 17th (16.8, 89) Metier Chardonnay 2000 (Aust) 18th (16.5, 88) Mt Eden Chardonnay 2000 (US) 19th (16.2, 87) Aldo Conterno Bussiador Chardonnay 2000 (Italy) 20th (16.0, 87) Kistler Chardonnay 2000 (US) 21st (15.7, 86) Beringer ‘Sbragia’ Reserve Chardonnay 2000( US) Full Tasting Notes Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2000 Juicy notes of melon and spice permeate an almost pungent bouquet of wild, meaty, reductive and earthy complexity. Marvellously assertive and pronounced, its awe-inspiring palate is richly laden with bright melon and lime-like flavours before a refreshing and savoury finish of dryness and minerality. Exceptional length, structure and balance. (Burgundy, 19.5, 98, drink 2008-2012) Domaine Blain Gagnard Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2000 Delicate aromas of minerals and dried flowers before a supple and endless palate of vibrant fruit whose intense core of melon, citrus and stonefruit flavours culminates in a lingering, savoury and matchstick-like finish. Wonderfully vibrant, fresh and seamless. (Burgundy, 19.3, 97, drink 2005-2008+) Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru ‘Les Folatieres’ 2000 A delicate spicy fragrance of honeysuckle and dried flowers precedes a palate of seamless length and fruit sweetness. Its nutty, savoury palate reveals layers of savoury complexity, smoked bacon, grilled nuts and bound sulphides. Exemplary balance, elegance and expression.(Burgundy, 19.0, 96, drink 2005-2008+) Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Premier Cru ‘Montee de Tonnerre’ 2000 Perfumed and mineral, with a delicate, floral perfume enhanced with lightly dusty oak. Long, fine and savoury, it’s very elegant and stylish, with a wonderfully bright, pristine core of peach, pear and apple flavour culminating in a long and austere finish. Excellent balance and restraint. (Chablis, 19.0, 96, drink 2005-2008+) Gibbston Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2000 A delightfully fragrant, minerally and floral perfume precedes a sumptuous, smooth and creamy palate of length and seamless quality. Its concentrated core of ruby grapefruit, peach and tangerine harmoniously smoothes out before a clean finish of refreshing acidity. Perhaps the finest New Zealand chardonnay I have ever tasted. (Central Otago, 19.0, 96, drink 2005-2008+) Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay 2000 A pristine and spicy floral perfume of lemon blossom, cloves and cinnamon is underpinned by minerally complexity and partnered by rather classy fine-grained nutty, toasty and vanilla oak. The palate delivers integration, brightness and fineness, with a fluffy mouthfeel of juicy peach, grapefruit and pineapple flavours before finishing long and mineral. Very youthful and classy. (Margaret River, 18.9, 96, drink 2009-2012+) Cullen Chardonnay 2000 Fragrant but restrained aromas of citrus and melon, with spicy undertones of clove, cinnamon and hazelnut. Concentrated, smooth and seamless, it’s assertive but elegant. Its finely balanced palate delivers bright citrus and melon flavours integrated with lightly toasty, buttery oak before culminating in a savoury, nutty finish of lingering fruit sweetness. (Margaret River, 18.8, 95, drink 2005-2008+) Domaine Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Fragrant aromas of honeysuckle, lemon blossom, minerals and citrus, with undertones of bound sulphide complexity and a whiff of stonefruit-like botrytis. Forward flavours of stonefruit and honeysuckle glide into a refreshingly vibrant palate that finishes long and tangy with lingering nuances of lemon and minerals. Classic Chablis. (Chablis, 18.7, 95, drink 2005-2008+) Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2000 Complex aromas of honeysuckle and sweet vanilla oak, with lightly oxidative nuances of dried straw. Its palate is powerful and concentrated, with a lavish core of ripe melon, peach and grapefruit flavours bound by sweet buttery/vanilla oak and refreshing acids. Long and seamless, it’s an assertive example of Margaret River chardonnay. (Margaret River, 18.7, 95, drink 2005-2008) Giaconda Chardonnay 2000 A brassy, meaty, bacony and reductive bouquet reveals complex nuances of grilled nuts and citrusy fruit. Round and juicy, but rather evolved, it’s complex, chewy and savoury. Perhaps it’s not the freshest bottle of this wine. (Beechworth, 18.6, 95, drink 2002-2005+) Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Pinot Chardonnay 2000 A slightly advanced expression of this wine, with a toasty, slightly tobaccoey bouquet of melon-like regional chardonnay character with nutty, dried flower-like influences. Sweet, juicy and forward, its palate of melon and tobacco flavours reveals a light oak treatment before lingering lime-like acids and flavours. This bottle is however drying out slightly. (Lower Hunter Valley, 18.5, drink 2005-2008) Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2000 Restrained, lightly honeyed and dusty aromas of wheatmeal, nuts and peaches before a round, juicy palate of texture and mouthfeel, before becoming finer and then quite savoury. Its tangy citrusy fruit persists very well, but gives way to nutty, mealy complexity. Has some development ahead. (Margaret River, 18.5, 94, drink 2005-2008+) Yarra Burn Bastard Hill Chardonnay 2000 A pungent, smoky chardonnay whose bouquet of melon, lime juice and lemon precede a smooth, elegant and juicy palate whose vibrant grapefruit, quince and lemon flavours are integrated with sweet vanilla and bubblegum-like oak. Excellent length of seamless fruit. (Yarra Valley, 18.5, 94, drink 2005-2008) Hardys Eileen Hardy Chardonnay 2000 Slightly brassy, juicy aromas of grapefruit and tropical fruit over sweet vanilla oak with a hint of bottle-age. Ripe, juicy and succulent, it’s initially fleshy before becoming long and lean, finishing with lingering citrusy nuances. Just showing some signs of drying out. Probably just this bottle. (Tasmania, 17.8, 92, drink 2002-2005+) Mount Mary Chardonnay 2000 I’m certain this isn’t the freshest bottle I have tasted of this wine, but it delivered almost a pungent, toasty and nutty bouquet whose melon/fig fruit is underpinned by reductive and mineral complexity. Slightly oily and brassy, its toasty expression of citrus and stonefruit flavours dries out a fraction towards a lingering mineral finish. (Yarra Valley, 17.8, 92, drink 2002-2005+) Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2000 Floral aromas of orange rind, delicate light melon and nutty vanilla oak precede a smooth, elegant palate whose penetrative expression of grapefruit, melon and pineapple flavour finishes with just a suggestion of greenness and sappiness. Good length and tightness. (Tumbarumba, Adelaide Hills, 17.5, 91, drink 2005-2008) Metier Chardonnay 2000 Tiring, mealy chardonnay with rather a stale, toasty and honeyed bouquet lacking freshness and fruit. There’s some forward sweetness of peach/lemon flavour, but the palate’s firm oak and phenolic structure is becoming more evident as the wine ages. (Yarra Valley, 16.8, 89, drink 2002-2005) Mt Eden Chardonnay 2000 Very evolved, its pungent, spirity and brassy bouquet of lemon bathpowder and confection precedes rather a thick, oily palate simultaneously both sweet and savoury. It finishes with lingering nuances of wheatmeal and powdery oak. (Santa Cruz Mountains, 16.5, 88, drink 2002-2005) Aldo Conterno Bussiador Chardonnay 2000 Very developed, nutty and slightly madeirised aromas suggestive of brown apple, with a round, forward and toasty palate that opens to reveal some attractive waxy floral complexity. Chewy, round and savoury, but lacking freshness. (Piedmonte, 16.2, 87, drink 2002-2005+) Kistler Chardonnay 2000 Tiring, toasty and developed, with a brassy bouquet of citrusy fruit, leesy complexity and wheatmeal oak. Forward, thick and chewy, it’s honeyed, buttery and toasty, finishing savoury but rather drying and abruptly, lacking genuine finesse and freshness. (Russian River 16.0, 87, drink 2002-2005) Beringer ‘Sbragia’ Reserve Chardonnay 2000 A rather short and tiring chardonnay with a brassy, toasty and over-oaked, spirity bouquet suggestive of dried flowers that lacks freshness and brightness. Sweet, round and oily, the palate is extremely oaky and fast losing whatever fruit it had. (Napa Valley, 15.7, 86, drink 2002-2005)
