2021 By Farr Chardonnay
Community Tasting Note
SirJ Likes this wine:
Friday, November 24, 2023 - Wine tasting 24/11
Held a wine tasting where the theme was Chardonnay from different parts of the world. We tried six different producers where my idea was to pit a Premier Cru from Burgundy against five other producers to blindly test and see what possible differences we could find.
All six wines have gone through malolactic fermentation and all have been aged for a certain amount of time in oak barrels. All but one wine (By Farr) has been on its lees (Sur Lie). All wines were decanted 30 – 60 minutes before tasting.
Three of the wines come from several different vineyard locations:
House of Smith – Sixto Uncovered Chardonnay 2019
USA / Washington State / Columbia Valley.
Alcohol 14.0%
Calera Chardonnay Central Coast 2021
USA / California / Central Coast
Alcohol 14.5%
Failla Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2019
USA / California / Sonoma County
Alcohol 13.5%
Three of the wines came from a specific vineyard location:
Les Héritiers Saint-Genys Mercurey 1er Cru Clos Marcilly Blanc 2019
France / Burgundy / Côte Chalonnaise / Mercurey
Alcohol 14.0%
Gala Vinnarstvi Chardonnay Hermes 2020
Czech Republic / Moravia / Perná
Alcohol 13.0%
By Farr Chardonnay 2021
Australia / Victoria / Geelong
Alcohol 13.5%
I presented all the wines first, origin, terroir, what altitude and a little about the philosophy of the respective winemaker. Then we tested all the wines blindly where everyone had to decide their respective top three wines for the evening;
3rd wine 1 p
2nd wine 2 p
1st wine 3 p
No prices were revealed before the tasting, but everyone was looking for the wine from Burgundy, thinking it would be the most expensive. All six wines were very good, and very difficult to distinguish in many ways. No over oaked wines (phew) but good fruit and more or less well-balanced oak.
After scoring, the outcome was as follows:
Failla Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2019 - 0 points (my score 90 p)
House of Smith – Sixto Uncovered Chardonnay 2019 - 2 points (my score 89 p)
Calera Chardonnay Central Coast 2021 - 6 points (my score 90 p)
Les Héritiers Saint-Genys Mercurey 1er Cru Clos Marcilly Blanc 2019 - 8 points (my score 92 p)
Gala Vinnarstvi Chardonnay Hermes 2020 - 10 points (my score 91 p)
By Farr Chardonnay 2021 - 10 points (my score 93 p)
Compilation
Blind tasting is incredibly interesting, and difficult, but usually gives a fairly fair picture of the wines. What we found most interesting was that all three wines that were specific vineyard locations ended up in the top 3.
What surprised many was that the Czech wine from Vinnartsi Gala shared first place, I was not surprised, one of my favorites for sublime well-balanced Chardonnay. That By Farr's Chardonnay also ends up at the top was not surprising, here it is the terroir that really ends up in the first place, limestone, limestone...limestone, the fruit is also extremely elegant. Those of you who have not tried By Farr's Pinot Noir should do so, very fine wines.
In third place Premier Cru Héritiers Saint-Genys, a wine that really performed and would probably have been rated higher a few hours later with a little more time in the glass.
Also have to give + points to the Caleras Chardonnay, near the podium, a clear fruit that appealed to many. But as said before, all six wines were very good, small margins. A very appreciated test, and instructive.
And the price level of these wines, cheapest Calera with its SEK 279, most expensive By Farr SEK 580. All wines purchased at SB except Gala which is bought in the Czech Republic.
Then the evening ended with three very good red wines:
Failla Pinor Noir Lola 2017 (my score 92 p)
Two Handes Shiraz Ares 2014 (my score 91 p)
Lunae Niccolo V 2016 (my score 91 p) - Great wine for €25
Wine is fun friends!
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