Hush Heath Skye’s English Chardonnay 2010, Kent, England (£20 hushheath.com)
Clean, bright style wine some Chablisque flinty notes, piercing citrus and apple fruit, a touch of nuttiness and a salty mineral tang. B(+)

Ocean Eight Verve Chardonnay 2010, Mornington Peninsula, Australia (~£25 Hallowed Ground)
Pure precise style, lightly cooked apple and cashew flavours pepped up by funky/toasty spent match characters, a note of honey and a vibrant, minerally finish. Full in flavour, but just 12.2% alcohol. S

Simonnet Febvre Chablis 2010, Burgundy, France (£13.99 Campbell Moore, Bretby Fine Wine, Handford, The Grocery, The Shenfield Wine Co, Partridges, Bablake Wines, Your Favourite Wines, Slurp)
Still tight and compact, but there’s a wealth of bracing green apple and lemon/lime fruit behind, and the classic Chablis combination of creamy richness with taut herb/mineral restraint. S(-)

Alpha Zeta ‘C’ Chardonnay 2011, Veneto, Italy (£7.99 Noel Young Wines, Richard Granger Wines, Bennetts Fine Wines, Lockett Bros)
Simple, soft and rounded style, reasonable citrus flavours, but there’s also a smoky elderflower notes that speaks of underripeness. C

Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2010, Livermore Valley, California (£10.99 Oxford Wine Company, Roberts and Speight, City Beverage Wine Company, The Wine Shop, Nicolas Corke Fine Wines, Penistone Court Wine Cellars, Taurus Wines, Weetons, TJ Wines, www.vintagemarque.com)
Rather blobby style, some pear and peach flesh, but overall simple, and let down by a muddy vanilla footprint. C

Leeuwin Estate Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay 2009, Margaret River, Australia (£22.50-£27.00 Domaine Direct, Beaconsfield Wine Cellars, Handford Wines, Harrods, Luvians Bottle Shop, Philglas & Swiggot, Secret Cellar, The House of Menzies, Uncorked, Winedirect International, Woodwinters Wines & Whiskies)
Starts off in lean fashion, but opens up to show crisp pear, apple and citrus flesh, a lightly toasty note from oak ageing, and a note of marzipan on the finish. Good but not great. S-