Chardonnay, the king of white wine grapes

Our Chablis has been made for us by Sébastien Dampt. The warm and dry 2022 vintage has given a ripe and fleshy citrus fruit character which combines harmoniously with the classic Chablis notes of iodine and oyster shell. Entirely unoaked, this is perfect as an apéritif or with fresh seafood.

Drink 2024 - 2027

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The nose of our 2022 White Burgundy offers up a bouquet of juicy white stone fruit and subtle, toasty oak. Succulent peach and nectarine flavours fill the palate, tempered by zesty citrus and rounded out with notes of melted butter and a sizzling, iodine finish.

Drink now to 2026

Adam Bruntlett, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

This is made for us by the celebrated Hambledon Vineyard. Bright, pure and refreshing, a neatly woven mousse supports notes of stone-fruit, gooseberry crumble and English meadow. The palate is foaming and firmly mineral, showcasing the quality of the Chardonnay from Hampshire’s pure chalk soils. This is the perfect partner for any celebration.

Davy Żyw, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The 2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay is a medium to full-bodied, round and fleshy wine evocative of peach, fresh mint, pastry cream and vanilla pod. Open and demonstrative, it will drink well young. - Robert Parker

There is both good freshness and reasonably good typicity to the white orchard fruit scents that are laced with soft citrus nuances. The vibrant and nicely concentrated medium weight flavors possess a caressing and succulent mouthfeel while delivering fine depth and persistence though there is a bit of perceptible backend warmth. This is a quality Petit Chablis that could be enjoyed young or cellared for a few years first.

Drink 2023+

Burghound (Nov 2020)

5-10% fermented and aged five to six months in old barrels, the rest in tank and aged therein for 10-12 months.

Light notes of citrus and cedar, more open and expressive than some. With the rounded texture of that oak-fermented portion determining the overall style though there is no oak flavour. Gentle and creamy but still very fresh on the longish finish.

Drink now

Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (October 2017)

A ripe and mildly exotic combination offers notes of lychee nut, white peach, spice, jasmine tea and a hint of matchstick character. There is impressive richness to the opulent, round and full-bodied flavors that coat the palate with dry extract on the bitter lemon and slightly warm but well-focused finish. This is a relatively tightly wound 2015 that should age well. - Burghound

There is exceptional weight to the nose of this majestic Montrachet; the fruit absolutely dances in the glass, keeping the wood in check. With massive weight, real elegance and perfect balance, this is a winner!

Delicate, light colour with faint green notes, this has a very elegant, classy nose, still with a layer of velvet. This is lively, vibrant and very dense, with pure ripe pears. It is very long and has quite a bit of power behind it; there is exceptional potential here.

The sometimes hesitant Caroline Gagnard was confident when showing us her excellent range of 2015s, and rightly so. Poor conditions during flowering have resulted in a small crop in red but somewhat better for white. Caroline began picking on 31 August and thinks that 2015 resembles a mix of 2010, ‘12, and ‘13, describing the wines as being both “glace et sorbet” – i.e., with the fresh precision of a sorbet and the richer texture of ice cream.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

From the small block separated from the main vineyard, immediately above Le Cailleret from which it was created in 1955, and the most northerly plot of Chevalier. This is buzzing: Chevalier often feels tighter and less opulent than Le Montrachet, as is the case here, but the vintage’s freshness gives an irresistible dynamism to match the wine’s intensity. Drink 2028-2045. 

The 2018 Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières opens in the glass with notes of citrus oil, pear, oatmeal and struck flint, framed by a deft touch of smoky reduction. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and intense, with racy acids and a searingly chalky finish. Anne Morey tells me that her father farmed this 0.55-hectare parcel before acquiring it at the end of the 1980s, and the composition of the soils suggests that this was the location where rejected stones from the quarry that lends the climat its name were discarded. - Wine Advocate

The 2014 Brut Zéro Grand Blanc was made without any additions of sulfur dioxide. The buttery richness of raw short crust pastry is foremost on the nose, complemented by springy panettone. The freshness on the palate is immediate and deliciously bracing. Tiny, fine bubbles whirl up freshness, yeasty flavors and stony, chalky saltiness. Tension and tautness are compelling, as is the layered depth of rich, buttery autolysis. The finish is lasting, long and totally full-flavored. Zero dosage. Disgorged: May, 2022.

Drink 2023 - 2040

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (November 2023)

Les Comtes is one of the greatest of all Chardonnay Champagnes, its fruit sourced from the finest Grand Cru sites of the Côte des Blancs. Blue chip provenance includes the villages of Avize, le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Cramant; it is the best of the best. Or, doubly appropriate given its luxuriant gustatory profile; la crème de la crème. 5% of the wine is aged in wood before spring bottling and the ensuing lengthy somnolence wherein the alchemical process of autolysis weaves its patient magic over nearly a decade.

2004 was an abundant crop, but also, unusually given its volume, one of high quality, especially in the south of the appellation and for the Chardonnay grape. Aromas of pear, greengage, bergamot and white flowers prove immediately attractive; the palate boasts precision, focus and a wonderful mousse bead. The immediate impression is of freshness and vitality; this is complemented by a profound yet subtle intensity that more than justifies the supreme reputation of this wine.

Ready to drink

Berry Bros. & Rudd