Viñalba Reserva Chardonnay 2012, Mendoza, Argentina (£10.99 Majestic)
Weighs in at 14.5% but it carries it well, with perky peach and plumper melon flavours pepped up by a slightly nutty note. Like a rounder Mâcon wine. B(-)

Panamera Chardonnay 2011, California (N/A in the UK)
Slightly stolid style, with not enough freshness to counterbalance the smoky oak and viscous pineapple chunk flavours – feels like last year’s wine. C-

Silva Family Wines Chardonnay/Semillon 2011, Colchagua, Chile (£7-8.95 Avery’s, Wine Rack)
Has an almost Sauvignon-like herby freshness, which sits very happily with the peachier, nuttier Chardonnay flesh. Easy to drink but a tad simple. C

White Rhino Chardonnay 2011, Western Cape, South Africa (£6.49 The Drink Shop)
Hardly any aroma beyond sulphur dioxide, clean and vaguely crisp, but unmemorable. 0

Fratelli Chardonnay 2011, Maharashtra, India (contact Hallgarten Druitt)
Simple, but honest and tasty, with a spicy/herby note to the fresh lemon and green apple flavours. C+

Casa Silva Angostura Chardonnay Gran Reserva 2011, Colchagua, Chile (£11.95 D. Byrne & Co, Bayley & Sage, Ralph Needham, Frank Stainton Wines)
There’s some smoky, even vanilla-fudge-like oak, but overall this is quite restrained and crisp, with decent fruit. But too simple for real class. C(+)

Errázuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2009, Aconcagua Costa, Chile (£15.99 Wimbledon Wine Cellar, Kingsgate Wines, Leamington Wine Company, The Vintage House)
Grown-up wine, with an attractive toasty/nutty sulphur note – think sweet spent match – from sensitive élevage plus juicy peach and nectarine flesh reined in by citrus and apple acidity. Maybe not too much of a terroir edge, but very good. S(-)

Botham Merrill Willis Chardonnay 2008, McLaren Vale, Australia (£15.99 Hercules Wine Warehouse, Christopher Piper, Frazier’s)
Traditional old-Aussie Chardonnay, with that peachy fruit cocktail flavour in abundance, decent enough but just a bit too plump and simple. C+