d'Arenberg, The Olive Grove Chardonnay, South Australia

Light gold. Assertive and attractive nose of lemons, melon, lees and oak. On the palate very sprightly and fresh. Good length. Just a touch of sweetness, much more minerality. Four years old but no sign of age. When I think of d'Arenberg it's always reds that come to mind - maybe I should revise that prejudice.

Mineral aroma of pears, citrus plants, dried melon, white currants. In blind tasting I'd say this is Sauvignon Blanc rather than Chardonnay. Light fresh crispy taste with long aftertaste. Very good balance.

8/10 - Vibrant and clean lemon, red apples and some orange on the nose. Equally flavourful on the palate with some slate coming in as well. Good balance with the oak and alcohol being pretty much unobstrusive. Not the most complex wine around, but definitely a reliably strong effort from the d'arenberg crew. Will definitely buy if priced around S$30 - 40. Drank on SIA flight from Beijing to Singapore

Pale golden color. Fresh floral apple nose. Medium bodied palate, nicely layered with flavors of apple, oaky spice, and mineral. Well balanced with medium oak. Medium length finish. A pleasant, well priced, and very drinkable chardonnay.

Good, strong, well balanced. Shouldn't stay much longer as after a while it did noticeably lose some of the power

Crisp, citrus, acid, a bit of wood, tart apple, short to moderate finish, light in color, aromatics are limited. No creamy vanilla. This is a very good wine, but not pushing the excellet to outstanding level. Screw cap closure. It lacks the depth of a top of the line chardonnay, but the price point is only low to mid teens in dollars. It's a good value for that. Screwed the cap back on and will revisit tomorrow.