Forty years ago, chardonnay was everyone’s white wine favourite – adaptable to climate and producing styles from rich opulence downwards.
After 15 years of stardom, however, it was no longer (literally) on everyone’s lips.
Consumers rebelled in particular against heavily oaked versions and the excessive vanilla, butter and caramel influences that dominated them.
ABC – “Anything but chardonnay” became a familiar refrain outside the iconic world of White Burgundies.
Now, however, the wheel is turning a full circle.
Winemakers have restored balance, resisted the overuse of oak and given terroir priority over the previously prized consistency (a.k.a. boring predictability).
Mineral elements and diverse flavour ranges are increasingly valued, while oak use has become, at most, proportionate and often eschewed altogether.
But isn’t price an issue?
It certainly is; with most of us destined only to enjoy top of the range chardonnay “when our boat comes in”.
So, I have tried to find entry level versions that take us part of the way towards the pinnacle for the more affordable prices found on the lower slopes.
These “Gateway Selections” offer reliable, enjoyable wine but also tell you whether you should take the next step.
That next step I have dubbed “Sweet Spot” wines – that seem positioned at the confluence of price, value and quality.
Today’s Gateway Selections start with a benchmark and then give options in three different styles.
One is fruit driven and without oak, another is more traditional with obvious barrel influences while the third sits between them.
Remember, though, not to over-chill chardonnay – straight out of the fridge is too cold; 20 minutes back at room temperature will improve the result appreciably.
In the usual way, hyperlinks and pictures are used where possible to help you locate the bottle in question.
Let’s start with that benchmark.
Waitrose’s blueprint range is designed to illustrate what typical wines of the chosen genre are like – and it does so perfectly here.
Handily, it is available in half bottles as well as 75cl versions, which makes it an ideal “Gateway Selection” for anyone to sample the style without paying too much.
2022 Blueprint White Burgundy (£6.99 for a half-bottle in Waitrose and 13% abv):
Gold coloured with a creamy texture, this classic, uncomplicated White Burgundy has smooth pear, apple and evolving peach flavours at its heart.
Behind those constituents come creamy toffee and vanilla touches held together by good acidity, subtle oak influences and a savoury edge.
Click on this link to go to the retailer’s website … https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-white-burgundy/819532-606834-606835
Finding other examples.
Try as I might – and apart from the “Sweet Spot” wine covered later, I struggled to find kindly priced European equivalents to that benchmark selection.
Fortunately, the new world came to our rescue and this new vintage option from Australia’s region Victoria which is a good middle of the road choice – and is currently at a sensational introductory price.
Côte de Beaune rival it is not, but it does offer sound everyday chardonnay with good balance without an excess of any component.
2024 Andrew Peace Masterpeace Chardonnay (£5 at Tesco on an introductory offer for Clubcard holders until 9 September, and 12%):
Soft with minty aromas it provides gentle nectarine flavours rounded out with herbal, crème brulee and piecrust elements.
All that is partnered by a mild oaky depth but, to counteract any richness, with nippy lemon acidity too.
Click on this link to go to the retailer’s website … https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/316932721
Or for a notch more sweetness.
2023 The Best South African Chardonnay (£6.50 – instead of £8.50 until 3 September at Morrisons and 13%):
For some folk though, certain chardonnays can seem a tad austere. If that is you, try this next wine.
Opening with apricot aromas, this fruit centred South African example features ripe melon, mango and tinned pineapple flavours.
It has seen no oak but still has modest smoothness and accentuates its overall fruitiness with pink grapefruit acidity that adds a zesty verve.
Click on this link to go to the retailer’s website … https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/morrisons-the-best-chardonnay-392549011?srsltid=AfmBOoq_29J13TY2ZKBttIRlFN-dF2l7dGkyDpLJMPy73PboXOK5w9kr
But, maybe, something more traditional.
2023 Extra Special Barossa Valley Chardonnay (£8.75 at Asda and 13.5%):
While the excesses of yesteryear went over the score, some aspects of the style of those wines are still popular.
Oak smoothness (and associated vanilla touches) can work well – especially when joined by a little minerality – while peach and suchlike flavours can also attract.
So here is an example that can offer measured but discernible illustrations of those aspects without getting them out of proportion.
Smooth with barrel induced aromas, it exhibits apple, melon and tropical fruit flavours.
These are supported by fresh sherbet lemon acidity nicely counterbalanced by a well-judged cream and vanilla texture and just a suspicion of chalkiness.
Sweet Spot Wine
2023 Le Bijou de Sophie Valrose Chardonnay (£10.99 at Waitrose and 13%):
A step up the price ladder brings us to this newcomer to the Waitrose range that I consider an excellent chardonnay for £11.
It is from the Aude part of Languedoc and the treatment of chardonnay here further enhances that region’s reputation with international grape varieties.
Gold with buttery aromas, the result contains soft passion fruit, apple and fresh pineapple flavours with zingy acidity.
Also on parade, are caramel and cinnamon traces within a sophisticated texture that also has a soupçon of minerality.
Click on this link to go to the retailer’s website … https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/bijou-de-sophie-valrose-chardonnay/915240-828076-828077
Nature and the Wine Harvest.
Reports seem rife about the incidence of “downy mildew” in (especially French) vineyards this year.
Despite the cosy first part of its name, this fungus can be a big problem.
Prices in the shops this time next year could well be affected because the disease can reduce yields and lower quality (by affecting grape ripening and, hence, final sugar levels).
In addition, managing vineyards to avoid it can also add appreciably to costs.
Downy mildew is a fungus type of organism that can shrivel fruit and seems to prosper in warm, humid and moist conditions.
This year’s wet spring (the worst for almost 20 years) provided exactly those conditions in nearly all parts of France.
In prospect it seems more an issue than in 2022, which also saw outbreaks of the fungus.
So, perhaps we should stock up on a few 2023 bottles of wines where aging can work.
That was a “fungus-unfriendly” hot and dry year – although yields were not especially high.
Overall, though, it now looks as though wine lovers need to study weather charts as well as vintage charts.
Tune in again on Monday when value at budget price points is once again the theme for the latest of my Top Tips posts.
28 responses
The great thing about Chardonnay, especially if it is unoaked,is that it truly reflects the terroir and the skill of the winemaker.There is no where to hide with Chardonnay.Poor terroir and/or poor wine making are immediately obvious.A very versatile grape- which by the way, is the grape variety that is most susceptible to powdery mildew.
Agree that Morrison’s The Best Chardonnay is a South African bargain at £6.50, down from £8.50.It is what I call a “bits and bobs” wine, in that the grapes are sourced from small parcels scattered over South Africa.That could be a recipe for an unsatisfactory disjointed wine, but in the talented hands of Trizanne Barnard*, that was never going to happen.Another SA winemaker that I follow with reward is Duncan Savage.(e.g. Pringle Bay wines at Majestic).
These two, for me, rival value for money wine of our French favourite, Jean Claude-Mas. If you see any of their three names on a wine, there is a high probability that the wine is a good one.
* Not a Chardonnay, but the SA M&S Expressions 13.5% Voor Paardeberg £9 is an unoaked, lees-aged,super white wine of a grape variety that is rarely used on its own.Made by Trizanne who makes it zip and sing.
Paul, thanks for the heads up on the M&S wine, I’ll have a look for it. Trizanne Barnard makes some excellent wines across all price points
Addition
The M&S wine mentioned is a Marsanne.
I had the Morrison’s South African Chardonnay the other day.
For the price, it’s an absolute steal, but it also reflected the price in that although there was nothing to dislike about it, it lacked the nuances that make a very good wine.
It was balanced throughout to be average. Average colour, light on the nose, average acidity ( yes I know it’s medium), average finish, no hint of bitterness you sometimes get with cheap Chardonnay but not enough body or points of difference to take it up a notch.
If you want to play it safe, it’s the perfect wine.
Thanks for a really fair summary in what I think is your first time posting here. It was the best unoaked option I could unearth at the price which, as you say, ticks many boxes – safe, reliable, indicative of the style and a mere £6.50 currently – without being stunning.
Yes, this is my first post but have tried many of your recommendations over the lastvfew months.
Definitely the choice at that price…discounted or not.
That is always gratifying to hear. It can sometimes feel like you are shouting into an empty room – which is why comments are so welcome.
I tried the Andrew Peace Chardonnay over the weekend. If I had to choose, I would take the Morrison’s Best Chardonnay over this one, but not a lot in it.
That’s really helpful feedback; thank you. I felt that the Andrew Peace version was “a middle of the road” option that sat comfortably between that unoaked, but fruit driven, South African one and the creamier Asda option. Between the three of them they seemed to cover the main spectrum rather well – yet none of them cost a lot.
Good morning,
I see Aldi are stocking the 2023 vintage of the Florina Chardonnay from Northern Greece.Not bone dry but terror driven and a keeper. Great value at £9.99
Welcome to this Comment section Chris. New voices are always welcome. I have not tried that Aldi option but will try to secure a bottle. Thanks for calling attention to it.
For me, the best priced quality French Chardonnay is the Wine Society’s White Burgundy. It’s crept up to £11.95 now but the quality is excellent. They even do it as a bag in box, which is too dangerous for me!
I’ve also had some decent examples from Limoux before. Will give the Blueprint a go and a little birdie tells me that there will be a Waitrose sale next week
Yes Wine Society options will almost always impress but it was the half bottle option that convinced me to use the Waitrose Blueprint as a benchmark for my “Gateway Selection”. Hope the birdsong proves to be correct
Thanks for this Chardonnay run down….exactly what I needed to “get back into” the variety. I was only risking money at the higher Burgundy end for a special dinner wine but will explore!
Thanks, Sue. That was exactly why I compiled this piece and hope you find at least one of the suggested wines that really works for you.
Thank you for this Brian. Maybe some of these will convince my Chardonnay naysayer friends that they shouldn’t close their minds to this versatile grape. In the meantime I will be heading to Waitrose for a bottle of Bijou de Sophie!
I am with you on convincing sceptics, Nicki, and thanks for getting in touch. Lisa has a dickie bird that suggests holding off that Waitrose trip for a day or so.
Definitely it will be interesting to learn when Waitrose has a multibuy offer .. not just these chardonnays but also the Alvarhino you mentioned a week or two back become a real bargain with 25% off ..
Excellent Chardonnay review, Brian, thanks.
Of course the other advantage of the Waitrose half bottle is that after drinking it you have a re-usable screw top half bottle!
So when you next open a full bottle of something, you can immediately decant half into this bottle (filled to the brim) and it will keep much better than using, say a vacu-vin stopper. So this can either help to regulate your wine consumption, or you can serve 2 half bottles of different wines with dinner.
And I have very recently discovered that M&S do a 25cl screw top bottle (a rather nice shape) – M&S Coteaux Varois en Provence Rose. The wine is pretty decent, and it gives another small bottle size variation. For me, 2 different but shared 25cl wine servings, is perfect for a 2 person midweek dinner.
So my dining room side table usually has an impressive array of bottles, half bottles, quarter bottles (187ml), 25cl 1/3rd bottles, and 100ml sample bottles. It is really fun to have an ad-hoc mini tasting over dinner. My wife is very tolerant, as she is equally passionate about wine, and it keeps me out of mischief!
Picking up on Brian’s mildew comments:
Fungus the Bogeyman- with apologies to Raymond Briggs.
The three main fungal diseases of grapevines,in order of badness, are:
1.Downy mildew
This causes yellow discolouration of upper leaves and a white mould or down on the underside.Thus diminishes photosynthesis,reduces the vigour and health of the vines,reduces yield,sugar levels and potential alcohol levels.
2. Powdery mildew
This forms an inflexible coating on the grapes and as they try to increase in size ,they split and the wounds then let in-
3.Grey mould
This causes the fruit to go soft, brown and rot and even mummify.
Control is clearing leaf debris,plenty of air circulation and sunshine which dries off the leaves.
And of course, the famous Bordeaux blend.No- not Merlot and Cab Sav, but Copper Sulphate and Lime, which ushered in the era of chemical control.
.. and is still permitted, even in organic vineyards.
One of my favourite vineyards, Chateau Feely, runs on biodynamic principles. No chemicals, they don’t even mow between rows. Everything they do is geared to the terroir. They claim that this gives their vines more robustness and resistance to infection even when other local vineyards have problems. Will be interesting to see if they have any downy mildew problems. Their wine is extraordinary, but you won’t find it in Tesco any time soon I imagine: https://chateaufeely.com/about/
One more thing: biodynamics is catching on in France, and even a luminary like Gerard Bertrand has converted his 1000Ha+ vineyards to it.
Hello Jerry,
One of the best books I have ever read on wine is by Étienne Davodeau called ‘The Initiates”.It is a real life story of a comic artist and a wine artisan ,Richard Leroy,who become friends and learn about each others’ different worlds.Étienne went to work in Richard’s organic and biodynamic vineyards and cellar for a year.Richard then leapt into the world of graphic novels.
They travel around France meeting authors and wine makers who share their passion.It is a joyful tale.
Unless your French is top notch,I would steer you towards the English translation.
I admit to having moved away from generic chardonnays when so much delightful, cheap chenin blanc was available that better suited my taste at aperitif time, when I generally drink a white.
But I still always had a bottle of Sainsbury’s TTD Maçon Villages on my shelf to indulge in France-old-times being careful to get it on a deal because it never was so cheap. The almost-Burgundy name ”exclusive” typically attaching pushing the price. Lidl often have/had one of those too that I found very acceptable.
I looked at Sainsbury’s just now and see the price has shot through the roof! One online listing has it at £13 but another £17 down to £15! A need then to be aware of disease affected production that inevitably will affect prices in France even more in the future.
Paul mentions all those ‘mildews’ that I do recognise … cos I think I have them all myself! But not quite mummified yet thank goodness. LOL!
Great article Brian. Certainly one for future reference if I get the chardy urge …
Back in the day, I suspect that, like many readers here, I was a bit sniffy about oaked Chardonnay. Because it was often too pronounced I pretty much sought out only the “purity” of unoaked versions.
However I attended a food/wine tasting & dinner by the original Lay & Wheeler in Colchester. I am not super techie about the finer arts of food-wine matching, and in fact thought that a fine Cru Beaujolais on show well suited practically everything (I am biased). However when a fish dish with a creamy sauce was served, the wine that really complimented it was an oaked Chardonnay! Ever since, I have treated oaked wines with a new respect – with the proviso that the oak should be more of a “seasoning” rather than an alternative flavour. So now am very happy to have oaked Chardonnays, or, I find some of the lightly oaked white Riojas an inexpensive alternative.
The Extra Special Barossa Valley Chardonnay sounds good. And as I have recently become a pretty big fan of Asda will seek it out.
PS ……
Apologies Brian …for being a chardy party pooper here, but no other chance for several days to flag up to your readership a Lidl Plus app deal on a very decent New Zealand SB. Their Cimarosa Malborough is usually £6.99 but there’s £2 off until the 28th. Has 89 points and an IWSC stamp of approval.
Cimarosa Malborough Sauvignon Blanc (lidl.co.uk)
No apologies needed Eddie. As you say, that sauvignon is a well-crafted wine and fabulous value at a fiver.
Breaking good news
The Asda Barrosa Valley Chardonnay now has a discount of £1.50 off,so is now reduced to £7.25.
I had a feeling that price might change yesterday morning which is why there was no hyperlink to the Asda website. Thanks for pointing it out. The wine is a popular one in this household.