£12.50–£14.50, Fareham Wine Cellar, Waitrose, Vinvm, Wadebridge Wines
I don't normally do split vintages, but the 2018 and 2019 of this Chilean Chardonnay from the Torres family are equally good – i.e. very good indeed – and I had almost identical notes on them, tasted a month apart.
The style is all about fine-boned, cool-climate, savoury intensity, with mouthwatering coastal Limarí salinity, acidity and length. The fruit is in the zesty lemon and lime spectrum, with touches of Pink Lady apple and peach in the 2018. There's an undertow of beeswax and almond, and delicate cashew-nut toastiness that comes from fermentation and ageing of half the wine in used French oak for 10 months; the rest was in stainless steel.
Foodwise, it's a candidate for fish of almost any kind in any way, from roast with a few herbs to creamy fish pie and shellfish, to salmon with hollandaise or smoked haddock. It's also a match for roast chicken (think tarragon, lemon, garlic), hard cheeses such as Grana Padana Riserva and cheese dishes. 13%
Miguel Torres Cordillera Chardonnay Reserva Especial 2018/19, Limarí Valley, Chile
2018: £12.50, Fareham Wine Cellar; £13.99, Waitrose (66 branches and waitrosecellar.com). 2019: £12.70, Vinvm; £14.50, Wadebridge Wines
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