Argeliers set out to do something simple and rather brilliant: to show what each great grape variety can truly achieve when planted in the warmth of the Languedoc, with the care and restraint that the finest wines demand. Their Oak Aged Chardonnay is the proof of that ambition — a wine that takes Chardonnay somewhere genuinely exciting, blending the generous, sun-ripened fruit of southern France with the structure and complexity that careful oak ageing and disciplined viticulture can bring. The grapes are grown on cooler hill sites — where the altitude tempers the Mediterranean heat and preserves a natural freshness and acidity — with yields kept deliberately low to concentrate the flavours and express the full, buttery, golden apple and creamy character that Chardonnay is celebrated for. The oak is toasty and well-judged, adding richness and texture without ever dominating the fruit. The result is a Chardonnay of real personality and depth: ripe and tropical, with a luscious, fruit-laden generosity that is almost New World in character — and yet with layers of complex minerality and freshness underneath that root it firmly in the south of France. The best of both worlds, in a glass, at £13.49.