The 15th annual Chardonnay du Monde® wine competition was held between 12 and 15 of March 2008 at Château des Ravatys, the wine estate of the Pasteur Institute at Saint-Lager in the Burgundy wine (France)
The Chardonnay du Monde® international competition recognises the world’s best Chardonnay wines by awarding them with reliable and thus representative medals. This competition is based on a single conviction: distinctive marks of quality are the key to real differentiation and thus to enhancing the value of rewarded wines in a highly competitive market where the array of products becomes vaster each day. Award-winning wineries can use this recognition for sales purposes by placing medal stickers on their bottles.
This event is unique in terms of its scope, its method and therefore its ambition:
* International in scope and a seldom reached diversity: 953 wine samples, 39 countries, 300 international expert judges.
* A strict method focus on quality: compliance with international competition standards, rigorous selection of expert judges, use of scientific criteria for tasting and Secure computer processing of results.
* Optimal tasting condition: number of samples limited to 17 per panel, Expert judges are not asked to add up their scores, so they can focus on evaluating the wines, sensory isolation and Wines tasted at an appropriate pace.
As part of these Quality Assurance, all new judges before being admitted to the tasting panels need to participate to a one-day training session. This course include for each judge the sensory profile determination, Chardonnay aromas identification and various exercises to familiarised the judges with methods use for international wine judging.
Chardonnay du Monde® has progressively distinguished itself from other international competitions thanks to quality standards that are much stricter than the norm and by remaining faithful to its founding principles, which have driven its success over the years: diversity, quality and high standards.
After four days of judging, the panels awarded medals to 317. This year, the panel doesn’t award Gold Medals of Excellence.
Medals distribution
Gold medals of excellence
Gold medals
60
Silver medals
202
Bronze medals
55
* All the results by countries and by medals
* Medal count by Country
Top 10 Best chardonnay du Monde® 2008 Gold medals
Country | Product | Winery
Austria | Trockenbeerenauslese 2006 | Weingut Sattlerhof
Canada | Royal de Maria Chardonnay Icewine 2000 | Royal De Maria Wines
Australia | Wyndham Estate Show Reserve Chardonnay 2005 | Wyndham Estate
France | Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes 2006 | Earl Des Robees
France | Champagne Veuve Emille Cuvée Chardonnay Brut | Champagne Le Brun De Neuville
France | Savigny les Beaune - Aux dessus des Vermots - Cuvée Signature 2006 | Bouchard Aine Et Fils
South Africa | Gouverneurs Chardonnay 2006 | Groot Constantia Wine Estate
France | Mâcon-Villages - Manoir du Capucin “Délice” 2005 | Domaine Du Capucin
Spain | Navarra d.o. - Palacio de la Vega Chardonnay - Fermentado en Barrica 2006 | Pernod Ricard Espana
Chile | Raminana Chardonnay 2007 | Vina Ventisquero Ltda
2008 GENERAL TRENDS
* An unique Geographical diversity: with 39 countries and 953 wines entered, Chardonnay du Monde® is the strongest chardonnay wine concentration ever realized. It is thus the most significant and legitimate qualitative confrontation for the distinction of best Chardonnay of the world.There was also strong participation from Canada, Italy, Spain, central Europe (Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Moldavia, Czech Republic, Switzerland), Chile, Argentina and the arrival of a new award country : Tunisia.
* The country winning the most medals:
The good place of France is noted: Languedoc-Roussillon, south Burgundy, Champagnes and the sparkling wines were rewarded by numerous and beautiful medals.
Within Europe, Switzerland, Italia and Spain stood out for their numerous medalled wines.
Outside Europe, Canada, Chile, South Africa and Australia confirmed their successes of earlier years.
* There was a high level of diversity in terms of the sensorial qualities of the wines: Each wine distinguished at Chardonnay du Monde® was judged for its quality as such and not into comparative. A favourable view is granted to the wines showing good typicity and intense Chardonnay aromas. Oakiness is considered a plus when it is discreet and harmonious, but was marked down when it masked varietal aromas.
The presence of sugar at a few grams per litre has a tendency to improve scores. This tendency, already noted in previous years, was confi rmed this year with a number of successes for off-dry wines. Wines made from partially dried or lateharvested grapes and those made by selective cryo-extaction received particularly good marks.
Dry wines were judged successful when they displayed harmony in the form of elegant acidity, with aromatic complexity.
* Technical Enrichment: The use of a New Professional Tasting Instrument Thanks to Applied Research: In addition to organising a flawless competition is added the will to improving the reliability of measuring instruments. This resulted in the adoption for the tasting of sparkling chardonnay wines of a professional wine-tasting glass thanks to applied research. This new tool test by judges of Effervescents du Monde® (www.effervescnets-du-monde.com) is an INAO-type tasting glass that contains a precise number of nucleation sites. Name Fleur d’Effervescence®, the objective of this glass is to optimise the tasting of sparkling wines: to calibrate their degree of effervescence, to control the formation of bubbles and to enable ideal expression of the foam…
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