The term "varietal" in wine terminology refers to the grape from which a wine is made. By law, the varietal wine must have a minimum of 75% of that particular grape. It is not a widely known fact that varietal wines are not always unblended, but as long as the grape stated on the label constitutes at least the requisite 75%, of the wine inside, it's all in order.

You might expect that a bottle of Chardonnay will taste the same regardless of where it was made or who made it. Surprise, surprise! Even a 100% pure, unblended varietal, say a Shiraz or that Chardonnay,  will vary, sometimes subtly, and sometimes surprisingly, from winery to winery, region to region and country to country. Why? Because how a wine tastes or smells, will depend not only on the grape variety (hence "varietal") but also on how the vineyard was mananged, how the grapes were handled, the winemakers recipe and also very importantly, the soil composition and the climate of the region where the grapes grew.

Grapes are like little sponges, sucking up all the character and atmosphere of the land, through the roots that anchor them to the soil. The French do blather on about "gout de terroir" (the taste of the land, as it were) but they do have a point, bless their finicky French souls.