Cuvée du Perce Neige Bourgogne Blanc A soft and delicious introduction to the software behind the greatest database of Chardonnay in the world, written by one of its greatest programmers. Laurent Ponsot. A blend of different parcels, sourced across a litany of trustworthy growers and venerated communes in Burgundy. Yellow fruit accents are framed by a wisp of oak, a waft of phenolics and a crunchy skein of mineral pungency. The finish is long and firm, yet this is a wine of immense versatility at the table to be enjoyed on the earlier side.

HARTFORD WINES Hartford Court Sevens Bench Chardonnay, Carneros

CLOTILDE DAVENNE Chablis Vieilles Vignes Chablis is a superb winegrowing region entirely dedicated to Chardonnay. Clotilde Davenne Chablis comes from the village of Courgis, right next door to her winery in Prehy. Pale in colour with hints of green, the Chablis Vieilles Vignes offers a nice freshness and aromatic nose of fresh fruits, white flowers and dried fruit. The mineral aromas, of flint in particular, make it sing.

This wine is made from two parcels which are found on the border of the communes of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. The first, which is to the left of the Clos des Perrières, has clay/limestone soil and a subsoil of volcanic rock which allows a healthy root system to develop in this limestone-rich environment. The second is on the upper slope and overlooks the Perrières quarry. Here the soil is heavily limestone, partly as marl and partly as white rock. This is interesting for the way it brings mineral notes to the wine. During tastings it often find notes of white pepper and other spices both on the nose and on the palate.

Domaine Lamy-Pillot 1er Cru En Creot, Saint Aubin Domaine Lamy-Pillot is a small family-run winery, established in 1973, which counts as relatively youthful for the region. The wines of Lamy-Pillot are consistent and drinkable in the very best sense. The 1er Cru En Creot hails from one of Saint Aubins higher sites. Lamy-Pillot describe this Chardonnay as a fat and greedy wine, rich with ripe yellow fruit, toasty butter, and honey.

HARTFORD COURT Stone Cote Vineyard Chardonnay The Stone Côte Vineyard is a small vineyard block within the renowned Durell Vineyard, which sits upon an ancient riverbed at the southern end of the Sonoma Coast AVA. The vineyard’s topography was shaped aeons ago by a river flowing through volcanic and sedimentary rock on its way to the San Pablo Bay. Tumbled and water-worn river rocks now litter the landscape, and very little topsoil remains. The nutritionally challenged soils force the vines to search deeply for nutrients and water, and as a result, the stressed vines yield very small clusters with intense varietal flavours. Climatically, this vineyard site is characterised by relatively cool daytime temperatures and maritime breezes, which marry with the low-fertility soils to create an ideal site for growing Chardonnay. The wine’s flinty aromas and mineral-laden finish are a reflection of this vineyard’s intrinsic terroir.

HARTFORD COURT Far Coast Vineyard Chardonnay Hartford Court’s Far Coast Vineyard is a cool site surrounded by redwood forests, almost two hours north of the Russian River on a Sonoma Coast mountain ridge. It is an area that some call the ‘True Sonoma Coast.’ Others would simply describe the distant vineyard site as ‘the middle of nowhere.’ Far Coast Vineyard sits just south of the town of Annapolis at 800-1000 feet above sea level. The soils at this ridge-top site are well-drained Goldridge sandy loam, which helps to intensify the sense of minerality and focus on the wine produced from this vineyard. This wine was produced from a block planted to Clones 15 and 809.