Today the Chardonnay trail heads homeward to Burgundy, but not to one of its smarter addresses. Were in the suburbs - Montagny - which is part of the Cote Chalonnaise sandwiched between the Cote de Beaune and the Maconnais at the southern end of Burgundy. This wine is from the Cave de Buxy, and it has cleaned the board at the 2006 International Wine Challenge, winning a gold medal, the French Chardonnay trophy and the International Chardonnay trophy.

Blason de Bourgogne Montagny Vieilles Vignes 2005 Burgundy, France
This is a crisp, lean, minerally expression of Chardonnay. It's full flavoured, with some taut lemony fruit and a rather savoury stony character, but the overall impression is one of minerality. If I was tasting this blind, I'd probably call it as a Chablis, because of its freshness and unoaked savoury presence. On its own it's left wanting for a little more richness, but with food this is a winner. A solid effort that's perhaps just a tad expensive, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some room here in the retail price for promotions, in which case it will be a very good buy. Very good+ 88/100 (£11.99 Somerfield, Tesco)