Delicata’s recently released 2014 vintage Gran Cavalier barrel-fermented Chardonnay has just been awarded a silver medal at the Chardonnay du Monde, a prestigious wine competition held in France last weekend.
This international competition is dedicated solely to wines produced exclusively from the Chardonnay grape. The 22nd edition was held at Château des Ravatys, the wine estate of the Pasteur Institute at Saint Lager, which is found in the world’s most famous wine region for Chardonnay, Burgundy.
In total, 826 wines from 41 countries were tasted over the four-day judging period, out of which only 275 medals were awarded, meaning two-thirds of the entries went home empty handed. In all, 56 gold medals, 196 silver medals and 23 bronze medals were awarded.
The Gran Cavalier Chardonnay silver medal places the Delicata wine shoulder to shoulder with some of the world’s great white wines, such as these other prestigious silver medal-winning French wines: 2013 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Cuvée Signature by Bouchard Aine et Fils; 2013 Meursault – Les Clous by Ropiteau Freres; 2012 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur by J. Moreau & Fils; 2011 Chablis Premier Cru Beauroy – L’Ame du Domaine; 2013 Montagny 1er Cru ‘Les Chaniots’ by Cave de Buxy; and 2013 Rully Premier Cru Château de Rully Clos la Bressande Monopole by Antonin Rodet.
Bronze medal winners also include wines from prestigious well-respected winemakers such as Penfolds, E & J Gallo and Baronne Phillipe de Rothschild.
The silver medal places the Delicata wine shoulder to shoulder with some of the world’s great white wines
During the competition, over 300 international expert judges carried out the wine tastings in accordance with international rules and stringently followed the quality assurance procedures. These included a strict method focusing on quality compliance with international competition standards, rigorous selection of expert judges, the use of scientific criteria for tasting and secure processing of computer results.
Optimal tasting conditions were practised such as sensory isolation; the number of samples was limited to 17 per panel; expert judges did not add up their scores, allowing them to focus on evaluating the wines; and wines were tasted at an appropriate pace.
As part of these quality assurances, all new judges had to participate in a one-day training session before being admitted to the tasting panels. For each judge, this session included sensory profile determination, Chardonnay aromas’ identification and various exercises to familiarise themselves with methods used in international wine-judging competitions.
This latest silver medal brings Delicata’s total international medal count up to 95 awards, including numerous golds andsilvers received in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Paris, London, Verona and Bergamo.