Sometimes you get pleasant surprises. Like when I threw in a wine snatched off the shelf to be part of my 'Chardonnay Death March'---actually a global chardonnay tasting of twelve wines blind.
I needed a South American entry so I selected Cousino-Macul Antiguas Reservas Chardonnay Maipo 2005. I'm quite familiar with the quality and style of the C-M AR Cabernet (good, rustic, old fashioned) but hadn't had the AR Chardonnay in quite some while.
Wow. The participants were quite impressed. So was I. Not over-oaked. Not over-maloed. Actually, not over-anything. Nicely balanced, fresh, zesty, acidic with citrus fruit, subdued oak, and some apple flavors rounding everything out. A very drinkable Chard, and one I would not hesitate to reccomend.
Someone even guessed "Old World". While I wouldn't go that far, I would say it was restrained, not gobby or flaccid, and had decent minerality.