Chardonnay Masters 2017: the results in full

Judges comments: Beverley Blanning MW

What impact did the tasting have on your perception of Chardonnay?

I have always loved Chardonnay, but this tasting really showed how high the quality bar has risen for Chardonnay, and in many diverse geographies.

Did it confirm or alter any prejudices you may have had?

The average quality level was higher than I was expecting, and the wines more interesting. My preference for the unique flavour of Chablis was confirmed, but when I looked at my favourites, I was quite surprised to see that the greatest number of my top-scoring wines was from Australia, and within Australia these were not limited to the more obvious cooler climate wines I’d have expected to prefer.

What did you like?

I liked many of the wines and they showed a range of styles that proves there is a Chardonnay for every taste. There was no problem with boredom here; quite the contrary, in fact, with many characterful wines ranging from fresh, light and lemony examples through lean and mineral styles to rich wines with lush, buttery, tropical flavours. It was a really enjoyable tasting. Australia and New Zealand were the top-scoring countries for me, but South Africa and Argentina also came out strongly in my marks. At the top end, there were some outstanding wines: Margaret River’s Howard Park, Vidal Legacy and Geisen The Fuder Clayvin stood out.

What didn’t you like?

There were few faults, but there was much discussion about reduction in some of the wines. Probably the least impressive wines for me were the few we tasted from the USA, with a couple of disappointments from Chile too.

Were there any surprises?

I was expecting to see more French wines here. I was also surprised by the very high average quality of the wines from different locations in Australia and New Zealand. At the cheaper price points, the oaked wines were considerably better than I’d expected.