The top 10 Gold medal winners in the 17th annual Chardonnay du Monde competition included wines from Austria, Greece, South Africa and Spain as well two champagnes, two Vin de Pays wines from Loire and Languedoc, and sweet Chardonnays from Germany and Canada.
In total the Chardonnay du Monde judges awarded 65 Gold, 174 Silver and 57 Bronze medals, but of the 11 wines from Burgundy and Chablis that won Gold, none found a place in the top flight this year.
The competition, judged over four days in early March, prides itself on its adherence to a code of “diversity, quality and high standards”. Strict scientific criteria are applied to the judging process, and new judges all undergo a full day of training before being admitted to the tasting panels.
In the 2010 competition, 300 international expert judges assessed 887 wine samples from 37 different countries.
The top 10 winners in the 2010 Chardonnay du Monde were (in the order published):
Austria Chardonnay Morillon Trocken 2008, Weingut Johann Schneeberger
Greece Ktima Tselepos Marmarias Chardonnay 2007
France Champagne Premier Cru Blanche de Castille Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne Colin
France Vin de Pays du Val de Loire, Domaine la Morinière 2009, Gaec de la Ragotière
South Africa Lourensford Winemaker's Selection Chardonnay 2009
Spain Penedès do Chardonnay Col-leccio 2008, Albet i Noya SAT
France Champagne Paul Goerg Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut, Coop. la Goutte d’Or/ Champagne Paul Goerg
Germany Chardonnay Beerenauslese 2008, Weinzergenossenschaft Auggen eG
Canada Chardonnay Icewine 2007, Kalala Organic Estate Winery
France Vin de Pays d'Oc, Domaine de Cibadiès, Cuvée Tradition 2009, Scea des Vignobles JM Bonfils
