Barton & Guestier Macon-Villages Chardonnay, France, 2003 As we continue our exploration of wines around the world, we're often overwhelmed when it comes to choosing affordable French wines ... Chardonnays we've tried have had strong mineral tastes, this wine was refreshing with hints of citrus ... being too buttery or oaky. We look forward to trying this wine again and sampling other varietals...

Macari Vineyards' Early Wine is one such wine that I look forward to. As the name implies, this 100% chardonnay wine is an extremely early release.  In fact, just about everything about this wine ... your palate, bringing balance to the wine’s sweetness. The flavors are straightforward, mainly citrus ... . There’s one more “early” to this Early Wine: Drink it early . Do not put it in your cellar...

Margaret River, Western Australia. Sealed with cork. 14% alcohol. Yellow. Nutty, aldehyde, fig nose. Faintly but clearly oxidised. Good acidity and length, but the flavour profile is dominated by the oxidation. Still has power and presence, but the purity and spirit is fading. . . Good but in decline. 16/20 (85/100). Drink soon. technorati tags: wine , australian wine , chardonnay...

... is the primary feature of this wine. Very good. 17.5/20 technorati tags: wine, australian wine, chardonnay...

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Tumbarumba, New South Wales, Australia. 13.5% alcohol. Screwcap. Approx $A30 Lemon, musk, pear and faint honey. Refreshingly crisp, though from memory less searing than the 05 edition. Evokes crunch and juicy minerality. Very good - excellent. 18/20 (94/100). Drink now - 2012. technorati tags: wine , australian wine , chardonnay http://feeds.feedburner.com/WinoSapien...

: wine , australian wine , chardonnay http://feeds.feedburner.com/WinoSapien ... Margaret River, Western Australia. 14% alcohol. Cork. Source: Steve and Rita. Bold and beautiful. Stonefruit, pineapple, toasted oak and faint nutmeg. Bristles with power and flavour. A very overt and confident wine, with nothing subtle or understated, and in that respect, totally in keeping...

Campaigners of the "Anything But Chardonnay" school of thought are still searching for new varietals to challenge Chardonnay 's near hegemony in the world's Premiership White Wine league. Sauvignon Blanc has its many adherents, particularly in New Zealand, but your correspondent Lovat Stephen here declares his fondness for Viognier - so often regarded in the past as a variable and unfashionable...

... the length (a little too short) and the bristle. . .Very good.88.Now - 2011.technorati tags: wine , australian wine , chardonnay http://feeds.feedburner.com/WinoSapien ... Strathbogie (Central Victorian High Country), Victoria, Australia. Chardonnay. 12.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A27.Bristling, crisp and stony. Peaches and cream, pineapple, hay, flint and smoke. Pebble like...

... technorati tags: wine , australian wine , chardonnay ... Denmark, Western Australia. Screwcap. Approx $A55 from restaurant wine list. Fresh and lively, tight, focused and gently powerful. Pale and radiant. Struck match, peach and almond meal nose ... of this wine is superb - it has a pleasing tang and mineral edge. It is refined and elegant...