Chardonnay became the most famous wine in the world for the wrong reasons. But forget the cliches, its time to fall in love with it again.
Australian Chardonnay stopped being fashionable at a single dinner party, above a pub sometime in the late-1990s.
The pub was the Queen Vic in EastEnders. The hosts were Grant and Tiffany Mitchell. They invited Phil and Kathy and shared a bottle of something that looked a lot like Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay. I remember writing an article about it.
You won’t find people recommending that sort of wine in London’s East End today. You’re more likely to be served something obscure and ‘natural’, perhaps by someone in a fisherman’s beanie hat, a leather apron and ‘artisanal’ sandals. Eighties-style, over-oaked Aussie wines are seen as irredeemably... Eighties.
The past few decades have seen the dominance of ABC – Anything But Chardonnay – as the marker of a wine lover’s good taste.
Well, I’m more interested in what it tastes like. And I think Howard Park Margaret River Miamup Chardonnay 2023 (12.5%, £12.50) tastes utterly fabulous, blending a seductive freshness with ripe, tropical fruit. Yes, there’s a hint of oak. But it’s a hint, no more.
If you want a rule to follow in a shop, look out for Western Australia’s regions – places like the Margaret River or Frankland River. Western Australia makes 5% of the country’s wine but wins 30% of the medals.
Along the road from Howard Park is Vasse Felix. Its Filius Margaret River Chardonnay 2023 (13%, £16) is a refreshing and zippy treat. With a second sip you’ll find an almost exotic character of ginger.
Importantly, neither has the ‘buttery’ character that put people off Chardonnay when Grant and Tiffany were opening a bottle above the Queen Vic.
In fact, some of the loveliest wines have no oak ageing at all. If you like Pinot Grigio, you’ll love 16 Little Black Pigs Chardonnay 2024 (12.5%, £11.99). It’s a light, fragrant, gently aromatic style of Chardonnay; an aperitif-style wine full of citrus and pear that’s lovely with light dishes.
One of the ironies of people talking about Chardonnay again is that it is something of a Plasticine grape. It tastes of what you do to it. That’s why it’s popular with winemakers.
It can make an attractive, light, aperitif like 16 Little Black Pigs, or a complex, rich wine like Robert Oatley Wines Signature Series Chardonnay 2023, Margaret River, WA (12.5%, £14.80). You’ll find crystal clear flavours of peach and pineapple, and a toasty, hazelnut finish that compares with the world’s finest wines.
In fact, Australia’s finest Chardonnays are among the world’s best. At £62.99, Shaw + Smith Lenswood Vineyard Chardonnay 2022 (13.5%) is expensive, but it’s also about half the price you’d pay for something as good in France or the USA.
I’ve been to the winery high in the rolling Adelaide Hills. It was a Sunday, and my friend who worked there forgot I was coming. No matter. I walked for an hour through the vines before he arrived, and we tasted this nectarine-scented, multi-layered, seamless beauty. It’s a wine I’ll never forget.
Who cares about ‘good taste’ when it tastes this good?
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