Wineonline.com.au sent me an email with this note. When I checked the results, the wine that won second place overall was listed as DB Reserve Chardonnay 2013. Some inquiries confirmed that this is the export version of de Bortoli’s humble Deen Vat 7 Chardonnay.
So who are these people who have so deftly confirmed what I’ve been saying for so long? That you can get terrific wines for less than $20, and even $10?
The idea of this competition, says the website, is ‘to bring together the world’s best Chardonnays in an elegant setting- the Château des Ravatys, the wine estate of the Pasteur Institute. The ambition of this international confrontation limited to Chardonnay wines is to pick out the best wines on the basis of their intrinsic quality …
The organisers claim that the medals the judges award are reliable and representative, and that this ‘event is unique in terms of its scope, its method and its ambition:
- International in scope and a seldom reached diversity: 794 wine samples, 41 countries, 300 international expert judges – half of them from outside France.
- A strict method with the focus on quality:compliance with international competition standards, rigorous selection of expert judges, and the use of scientific criteria for tasting, and secure processing of computer results.
- Optimal tasting conditions: sensory isolation, number of samples limited to 17 per panel, expert judges do not add up their scores allowing them to focus on evaluating the wines, and wines are tasted at an appropriate pace.’ More on Chardonnay du Monde
So what do we make of these results? Looking at the top 10, we find a South African Chardonnay the winner, followed by an Australian, a Swiss and a Brazilian which is several places ahead of the first Burgundy. When we look at how other Australians fared – see list below – we find some odd entries between the de Bortoli at the top and the Yattarna at the bottom.
Have I tried the $10 giant killer? Yes, but I’m keeping right out of this. You can still buy the wine at Wineonline or at Jim’s Cellars and check it out.
Kim
