2023 Chardonnay, Domaine d'O, Haute Vallée de l'Aude

For me, chardonnay is the greatest of white varietals and gives me more drinking pleasure than any other white wine. However, owing to continual price rises, the cuvées from those famous villages in Burgundy are increasingly becoming special occasion wines chez moi. Nevertheless, with Domaine dO, I dont feel like Im missing out. Why? Because, as with the great chardonnays of Burgundy, straight from pulling the cork there is an initial hint of lemon before classic chardonnay stone and tropical fruit characteristics arrive: peach, apricot, and a hint of honeydew melon. There is a wonderful creaminess on the palate, excellent minerality, and a subtle hint of oak. Almost Burgundian, one might say.

It must be all those years that Floris spent working in Bourgogne, the birthplace of chardonnay. In fact, the Domaine dO range is named after his son, Oliver, who grew up amongst the vineyards of Burgundy before the family moved to the Languedoc. By planting chardonnay and pinot noir in Languedocs AOC Limoux appellation, Floris creates wines that reflect Olivers Burgundian roots and Languedocian upbringing.

 - James Ayers, Purchasing Manager, Mr.Wheeler.

"The 2022 Domaine d'O Chardonnay is a new one on me and an unexpected delight. Produced by Burgundy-born Oliver Lemstra Bake in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the Limoux appellation, it's fermented in steel, undergoes partial malolactic fermentation and is then matured partly in steel and partly in oak. The result is that of a truly classy Chardonnay creamy, full and rounded with hints of apples, pears and citrus. Spot on."
Jonathan Ray, The Spectator Magazine (previous vintage).