Reserve de Marande Chardonnay

Once upon a time you heard people talking about ABC (Anything But Chardonnay). But the world’s most popular wine variety has made something of a comeback in recent years. Forget ABC, you could give us a good glass of Chardonnay any day of the week!

Here’s three more letters – LGI. It’s the brainchild of Frenchman Alain Grignon from the Languedoc region in the south of France. Alain’s vision was to produce wine for the international market that offered great bang for your buck. Winner of “Best French Still Wine Producer” of the year at the prestigious Berliner Wein Trophy three years running in 2017, 2018 and 2019 – magnifique!

NZ Master of Wine Steve Bennett scours the globe and (literally) sniffs out bargains to import back into Aotearoa. He’s brought in a couple of great entry level wines under the “Reserve de Marande” label made by the guys at LGI.

This is their 2019 vintage Chardonnay which is a great starting point if you’re new to the modern style French Chardonnay. Just five months aging on lees to add richness and texture – but overall this is a dry, unoaked, fruit driven style with stone fruit flavours and a crisp, refreshing finish. Serve lightly chilled with fresh fish in a light creamy sauce or roasted chucks.