2023 Chardonnay Blind Challenge

The annual Tim Atkin South Africa Special Report is always an interesting barometer for what’s hot and what’s not in the wider Cape winemaking landscape. It remains an impressive body of work albeit written from the point of view of one individual. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, his 95+ point tasting hosted in Cape Town and Johannesburg in 2023 included 29 Chenin Blancs from around the Cape, confirming this cultivar’s quality and standing in the general South African fine wine landscape. But equally of interest, the tasting featured a whopping 20 Chardonnay whites, making it the second biggest awarded white category after the Chenin Blancs. As Tim and other commentators now point out, South Africa has undoubtedly overtaken France and the Loire region as the most lauded, successful, and sought-after dry Chenin Blanc producer in the world.

Chardonnay from the Cape, on the other hand, has the considerable might and prestige of Burgundy to compete with, and then, just when you think you are gaining ground on this undisputed world market leader, collectors and afficionados are quick to rattle off another incredibly impressive list of producers from California, Australia and New Zealand that are making some very highly rated, eminently respected Chardonnay’s that South Africa’s top producers still need to contend with in international markets in order to catch the attention of importers and top collectors.

For those of you familiar with my own website, A Fine Wine Safari, you might remember an incredibly insightful and challenging tasting that a bunch of fine wine afficionados in London pulled off in June 2018. It was born out of the lunch-time banter between some good fine wine friends who quickly aligned themselves as either New World Chardonnay afficionados or consummate Burghounds. The competitive nature of fine wine does this to grown adults… and so was born, the concept of a New World versus Burgundy Chardonnay shoot-out. Each team of tasters would run several rounds, and through a series of blind, scored tastings, they would select their top 10 wines, without budgetary restrictions, to compete against each other in a grand blind taste off.

The results of this tasting were indeed fascinating… but also served to confirm that yes, white Burgundy even five years ago was still prohibitively expensive from the top producers and even more so today, and yes, the New World could undoubtedly produce wines that rivalled the very best of France. I was of course lucky enough to serve as one of the New World team members on the June 2018 tasting alongside global heavy-weight journalist Neal Martin, who was there to help oversee the proceedings and to help make it a bit of a legendary tasting event… never to be repeated. Well, they do say, never say never!

In early 2023, one of the fine wine judges on our now famous “Judgement of Wimbledon” Grenache blind tasting panel raised the feasibility of presenting another blind Chardonnay Challenge, but this time not pitched against Burgundy directly, but merely featuring some of the best and most highly rated Chardonnays in the world in another blind, judgement-style tasting… this time not in Wimbledon, but in neighbouring Surbiton. Now, I will be the first to admit that “The Judgement of Surbiton” does not quite carry the same gravitas as “The Judgement of Paris”… however, the fine wine aficionado and obsessive South African wine collector behind the idea, Riaan Potgieter, single handedly organised one of the most impressively slick blind tastings I have attended in many years, featuring a line-up of wines from around the world that any Chardonnay fanatic would give their eye teeth to taste individually, let alone altogether.

Rest assured, tasting so many incredible wines was positively gruelling, not in a bad way but in a mentally sapping way. When confronted with so many individually brilliant wines, it is always going to be hard work separating the merely good from the truly great. Among the 19 wines tasted by seven expert tasters, there were four wines from Australia, three from France, one from Germany, one from Italy, two from New Zealand, four from the USA and of course four from South Africa. Wines were generally all rated 97+ from critically acclaimed international reviewers but the range also included two blind hundred pointers from recent releases, namely Giaconda 2021 from Australia and Kistler Laguna Ridge from Sonoma County, USA.

Where the June 2018 Chardonnay Challenge selection failed to include any South African wines, (not for a lack of trying), this tasting featured four stunning wines that performed incredibly well considering the competition. These included a fabulous Kershaw Wines Deconstructed Lake District Bokkeveld Shale CY95 Chardonnay 2018, a Leeu Passant Chardonnay 2020, a Lismore Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2021, and a Draaiboek Wines Onskuld Chardonnay 2021 from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley made by Stephanie Wiid. On the day, six of the seven tasters certainly did not know what the final line up of wines would be, let alone that it would include four South African wines! But boy did they perform.

With the current state of ascendancy of South African wines, it seems obvious that this type of blind judgement tasting is going to be repeated regularly in the years to come. Whether they will all feature this calibre of competition from around the world, is another question altogether. I have it on good authority that assembling this selection alone was a fairly laborious, arduous and long-winded affair. For starters, the Giaconda 100-pointer was flown out from Australia as European stock is only going to be released through the Bordeaux Place and the Kistler Laguna Ridge cuvee was only available in magnum format at great expense. Needless to say, an absolutely phenomenal result for South African Chardonnay!

Extract from Greg Sherwood article:

https://gregsherwoodmw.com/2024/01/07/the-great-chardonnay-blind-challenge-2023-putting-some-of-the-worlds-finest-chardonnays-through-their-paces-in-the-judgement-of-surbiton/

• 2020 Littorai Chardonnay B. A. Thieriot Vineyard 100 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting the 19 best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group: 1/19 (98.1) WOTN🥇
  Riaan: 1/19 (100) WOTN🥇
  
  Finally, the winner of #chardybraai 2023. Scoring an average of 0.6pts more than the WOTN🥈. Ranked 1st by 4/7 tasters. Top 3 by 6/7. Lowest score 96. Clearly the undisputed winner!!
  
  Lightly coloured with just a touch of green. Spice. Wax. Lemon peel. Dried flowers. Using a GSMW fav…crystalline purity. Huge finish. Epic, epic wine!

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• 2021 Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard 100 Points

  Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting the 19 best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group: 3/19 (96.9) WOTN🥉
  Riaan: 2/19 (99+) WOTN🥈
  
  Now getting into the podium and we start with a cracking wine that got a perfect score from RP. Have to say, I was quite sceptical about that…but then I ended up scoring it the same (blind). What do you know. 🤣
  
  Not yet released in Europe (at the time of the tasting), so this bottle had to be flown in from Aus. Worth it! Thanks to good friends for helping out.
  
  Lots of wild herbs. Lovely fruit purity. Beautifully integrated. Yellow peach. Red apple skins. Spice. Well balanced minerality. Incredible intensity.
  
  Initially the struck match reduction was quite intense and it didn’t do well with the group. However, we saw a huge improvement when returning to it in the final champions round.

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• 2020 Mullineux Chardonnay Leeu Passant Stellenbosch 99 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting the 19 best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 4/19 (96.7)
  Riaan: 3/19 (99) WOTN🥉
  
  What a result for a humble SA wine. Group avg is only 0.2 below an RP100 stonker. Wow!
  
  Big step up from the 2019, to my palate at least.
  
  Soft and round, yet it is very intense with huge persistence. Pure and lots of complexity. White peach. Flinty crushed stone. Lemon zest. Creamy. White flowers. Grapefruit. Smoke. Ginger. Saline finish. Lots of freshness and a strong mineral undertone.
  
  Amazing wine that gathered 2x 99pt and 2x 98pt scores across the group. What a result.

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• 2019 Kistler Chardonnay Laguna Ridge Vineyard 99 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting the 19 best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group: 2/19 (97.5) WOTN🥈
  Riaan: 4/19 (99)
  
  This was the second RP 100pt wine in the lineup, and served double blind. Nobody knew it was included. Similar to the Giaconda, it rose to the occasion.
  
  Pure. Crunchy textural intensity. Gripping minerality. Crushed rock on the back of the palate. Florals honeysuckle. Lifted and energetic. Saline finish. This is so precise and polished.

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• 2020 Shaw and Smith Chardonnay Lenswood Vineyard 98 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 8/19 (95.6)
  Riaan: 5/19 (98pt)
  
  Pure and fresh. Chalk. Green Apple skin. Lemon curd. Grapefruit. Chalky minerality. Saline. Huge persistent finish. Smashing wine.

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• 2021 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 97 Points

  Australia, Tasmania, Coal River

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 7/19 (95.7)
  Riaan: 6/19 (97pt)
  
  Yellow stone fruit. Reduction, struck match. Saline. Smoke. Gunflint. Mineral drive. Very long finish.
  
  Initially the reduction was quite overwhelming, but the wines quality was clear. It would sit on the palate for ages and allow the stone fruit flavours to develop. Very intense and concentrated wine. Loved this from the first sip.

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• 2021 Cullen Wines Chardonnay Kevin John 96 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 9/19 (95.1)
  Riaan: 7/19 (96pt)
  
  Elegant. Textured. Gritty. Fruit builds on the palate and at its strongest on the finish. Grapefruit. Zest. Nutty. Ginger spice. Crisp acidity. Smashing wine and a step up from the 2018 I tasted recently.

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• 2021 Draaiboek Wines Chardonnay Onskuld 95 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 5/19 (96.1)
  Riaan: 8/19 (95pt)
  
  The final ranking of this wine was the biggest surprise of the day. I expected it to do very well, but this exceeded all expectations. Only the 3rd vintage by this producer and it beat a lot of the big names in SA chard to even make it into the lineup.
  
  Herby, earthy, very mineral driven. Blood orange. Lots of charm. Great result!!

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• 2020 Rudolf Fürst Chardonnay R 95 Points

  Germany, Franken

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 6/19 (95.9)
  Riaan: 9/19 (95pt)
  
  Creamy. Lots of chalk. Herby. Silky. Aromatic and very expressive.
  
  I was all over the place with this wine, considering ratings from 94 to 97 at some point. Pretty happy with where this ended.
  
  Tasted a lot like a high quality Chablis.

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• 2019 Domaine de Montille Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 11/19 (94.0)
  Riaan: 10/19 (94pt)
  
  2nd Puligny-Montrachet in the lineup, and ended up in a dead heat with the Leflaive for myself and many in the group.
  
  Crunchy fruit. Lots of minerality. Reduction. Salinity. Crisp. Pure. Elegant. Tasting the burgs again sighted I understand why they slid down a bit. Much more subtle. Don’t have the sheer intensity of wines at the top.

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• 2013 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 12/19 (93.9)
  Riaan: 11/19 (94pt)
  
  Fruit forward. Waxy. Mineral. Big acidity. Well rounded. Seemed well integrated and settled, makes sense in retrospect given the age difference between this and other wines in the lineup. Much fruitier than I expected. Smashing wine and we were all shocked it didn’t end much higher.

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• 2019 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 10/19 (94.7)
  Riaan: 12/19 (94pt)
  
  So many amazing bottles and only now getting into the top 10.
  
  Sweet fruit. Lemon scented. Textured. Spice. Saline. Tangy. Very intense. Huge persistence. Oak is very well integrated. Loved this!
  
  Certainly a wine that should have scored higher, but I just don’t know what I would demote to achieve that. What a lineup!

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• 2021 Lismore Chardonnay Estate Reserve 94 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Overberg, Greyton

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 14/19 (93.9)
  Riaan: 13/19 (94pt)
  
  Fruit forward, much more so than previous vintages. Cream. Apricot. Yellow peach. Spice. Popcorn. Mineral undertone. Good acidity brings the whole package together. It works well, but I don’t like it as much as the leaner 2020.

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• 2020 Gaja Langhe Chardonnay Gaia & Rey 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  Group rank: 16/19 (93.5)
  Riaan: 14/19 (93+)
  
  I was surprised at how low this ended up in the ranking, but reflecting on my blind notes / score, I’m happy with how it rated this wine. Its positioning so far down is purely a reflection of the overall quality in the lineup.
  
  Green herb, bitter lemon. Spice. Smoke. Lots of mineral tension. Maybe just a bit bland vs others in lineup.

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• 2021 Kumeu River Chardonnay Maté's Vineyard 93 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 15/19 (93.6)
  Riaan: 15/19 (93pt)
  
  Fruit forward. Riper side. Yellow apple. Honeysuckle. Touch of caramel. Musty. Mineral undertones. Touch of spice to finish. Little bit lacking in intensity.

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• 2013 Coche-Dury Chardonnay Bourgogne 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 19/19 (89.6)
  Riaan: 16/19 (93pt)
  
  Lemon with green herbs. Reductive. Earthy. Big, but spiky, acidity. This style really stood out as something quite different.

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• 2018 Richard Kershaw Wines Chardonnay Deconstructed Lake District Bokkeveld Shale CY95 92 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 13/19 (93.9)
  Riaan: 17/19 (92pt)
  
  This was a wine that spit opinion quite a bit. Ranked as high as 2nd and 3rd overall, but also ranked near the bottom, including by yours truly.
  
  Voluptuous fruit. Ripe and forward. Red apple. Citrus peel. Melon. Crunchy minerality. Oak still needs integration. Very new world fruit forward style and maybe a touch light on acidity.

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• 2021 Blank Canvas Winery Chardonnay Reed 91 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 17/19 (93.3)
  Riaan: 18/19 (91pt)
  
  Included because this wine was scored 97pt by Vinous: however, it didn’t quite stand up to the world’s best.
  
  Very reductive with lots of struck match. Nice lemon zest and crushed stone on the nose. However, on the palate it falls flat a bit. Mid palate is nonexistent, low concentration flavours. Almost seems a bit watered down.

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• 2019 Ridge Chardonnay Monte Bello 91 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  #chardybraai 2023
  
  Blind tasting 19 of the best bottles of Chard I could pull together, and a great climax to end the #summerofchard.
  
  Group rank: 18/19 (90.6)
  Riaan: 19/19 (91pt)
  
  Ripe and creamy. Very oaky…surprising given Ridge doesn’t normally overdo the oak to this extent. Spicy. Acidity not what it should be. I found it to be a bit boring, given the company, and it seems the group agreed.

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