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Practically all white Burgundy is made from 100% Chardonnay, but the different wines that are produced are so different from each other that it would be very difficult for anyone not to be able to find a wine that suits them, and their budget - to a point. The wine we tasted were pretty much the bottom of the barrel at between £5 and £7, so if you're after sub-£5 wine, you'll have to look elsewhere. Because Burgundy is a long region, from north to south, there's a big temperature variation, which means that wines from the far north, in Chablis, are dry, acidic and steely and those from the Macon, in the south, are fuller, riper and richer, more similar to Chardonnay from outside Europe. Generally, people who buy wine at this price level, ie you and me, prefer this riper style and also it's easier to make cheaper wine if the grapes are riper than if they're zingily acidic.
Our favourite was Sainsbury's White Burgundy 2005, which is a very reasonable £4.99. It smelt attractively of dried apricots and pineapple syrup and tasted fat, quite sweet and easy. There was a bit of structure on the finish and we all felt it was a creditable wine, especially when we uncovered it and discovered the price.
Blason de Bourgogne Chardonnay 2005, which is £5.99 from the Co-op and Morrisons, had a little sulphur on the nose on opening, but this lifted to give a fresh, lemony smell on which Alex found some pear. The taste was also lemony with some tang and a little leesy texture, which we liked.
Radcliffe's White Burgundy 2005, which is made at the Cave de Lugny is £6.99 from Thresher or £4.66 if you buy 3 for 2. It also had a whiff of sulphur initially which lifted to give tinned pineapple - in juice, not syrup. It had quite a lot of grippy texture, which felt like overdone oak.
Marks & Spencer's Burgundy Chardonnay 2005 is £5.99 and smelt attractively of vanilla and white greenhouse flowers. Lorraine picked up coconut. Unfortunately, in the mouth it was astringently oaky, with an overly woody finish. Perhaps a few months in bottle will calm this down.
Albert Bichot Chardonnay 2004 from Oddbins is £6.39, with a 10% discount if you buy 6 and 20% off twelve. This applies to all still wines, except Fine Wines, until further notice. It smelt strangely of sweeties - like that pink bubblegum in a twisted wrapper. It was dry in the mouth, with a pithy grapefruit finish.
Majestic Macon Villages tasted oddly, chemically, perfumed with an astringent, bitter finish. Waitrose Macon Villages lost points because it was quite astringent and we felt it needed food, which we didn't have to hand. Not suitable for an aperitif.
If you're interested in tasting and comparing wines, why not buy the Sainsbury's White Burgundy and their own £4.99 Australian Chardonnay. Set aside some time, take them out of the fridge half an hour before you want to taste them, so they're not too cold, and pour yourself a half glass of each.