Wine Tasting Note: Marquis de Pennautier Chardonnay, 2005, Vin de Pays d'Oc, France  Add/Read Comments

Wine Tasting Note: Marquis de Pennautier Chardonnay, 2005, Vin de Pays d'Oc, France.
Available from Waitrose for £7.99.

An edge of orange peel, a smidgen of grapefruit (on the nose at least) and a distinct nutty finish. A weighty palate, some richness but fresh and blessed with a long length. The wine does have some character, a refined feel and, as the rear label states some 'elegance and charm'. This is not a big, buttery wine but it does lack a little in texture and layers of flavour.

Scribblings Rating - 88/100 [3.5 out of 5]


It was that nutty edge that intrigued with the idea of pairing it with partridge stuffed with a liver/onion/chestnut mix. Chicken had to do as a substitute as no partridges to be found in my local Waitrose. (Unlike nearby Henley there is no butcher in Wallingford where such delights would be plentiful).

You can't really go wrong with matching a Chardonnay with chicken but the stuffing - with the full-on flavour of liver and chestnuts - was taken in its stride by the wine.

An oak-aged Chardonnay from the foothills of the Montagne Noire to the North of Carcassonne in the Languedoc region, where the limestone clay terrior and the relatively cool micro-climate combine to produce a wine of elegance and charm.