Top 23 Chardonnays for under £25

We’ve picked out the best 23 wines for under £25 from this year’s Global Chardonnay Masters, featuring top drops from Australia, California, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand, as well as, more unusually for the grape variety, Austria, Spain and Turkey.

Marquès de Casa Concha Chardonnay, 2022

• Producer: Concha y Toro
• Region: Limari Valley
• Country: Chile
• Abv: 13.0%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £15.99
• Medal: Master

Our top-scoring sub £25 sample of 2023, the Marquès de Casa Concha Chardonnay was the only wine in this price category to pick up the ultimate accolade of Master. Pale lemon-green in colour, the wine shows pineapple, golden apple, peach and pear fruit accented by nutmeg-spiced oak. Mid-weight, the complex, oaked-infused flavours across the palate are nicely framed by crisp acidity, and the wine is well-balanced with creamy texture adding breadth and a little astringency giving length. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

True Myth Chardonnay, 2021

• Producer: Baileyana Winery
• Region: California
• Country: USA
• Vintage: 2021
• ABV: 13.5%
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £14
• Medal: Gold

A delicious and good-value oldschool Chardonnay from California, loaded with rich, ripe fruit from peach and pear to pineapple and melon, along with sweet, oakderived flavours such as caramel and cashew, plus a touch of lingering toastiness on the finish. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Chardonnay, 2022

• Producer: Fleur du Cap
• Region: Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Vintage: 2022
• ABV: 14%
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £15
• Medal: Gold

Proof that the Western Cape is a brilliant source of Chardonnay that doesn’t break the bank comes with this drop from Fleur du Cap. Featuring a range of flavours from pear and peach to butterscotch and toast, with a touch of bitter citrus on the finish, it’s a generous and oaky white, but with enough zest to refresh. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

Brancott Estate Letter Series ‘O’ Chardonnay, 2022

• Producer: Brancott Estate
• Region: Marlborough
• Country: New Zealand
• Vintage: 2022
• ABV:
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £18
• Medal: Gold

A fine, modern style of Chardonnay, but retaining the grape’s classic appeal, this Marlborough-sourced wine mixes sulphidic notes of freshly-struck matchstick with some caramel and peach flavours, followed by palate-cleansing notes of ruby grapefruit and toast. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

Valdivieso Valley Selection

• Producer: Valdivieso
• Region: Casablanca
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 2021
• ABV: 13%
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £13
• Medal: Gold

A well-made and a relatively inexpensive barrel-aged Chardonnay from Chile, with subtle notes of oatmeal and cream allied to pear, peach and apple flavours. It’s a clean, refreshing style with some ripe fruit and delicate oak-derived characters. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

Viña San Pedro Tarapaca Leyda Reserva Chardonnay 2023

• Producer: Viña San Pedro Tarapaca S.A.
• Region: Leyda Valley
• Country: Chile
• Abv: 13.5%
• Vintage: 2023
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £10.50
• Medal: Gold

Located on the west side of the Chilean Coastal Range and only 4km from the Pacific Ocean the Leyda winery was a pioneer of these cool coastal Chardonnays. Made with a little bit of lees ageing, the wine is a pale silver lime-leaf green, showing juicy yellow and green apples, crisp acidity and light body. Linear and quite chalky in texture, the wine has good definition and length. A good match for smoked salmon with lemon or quails’ eggs sprinkled with sweet paprika. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Franschhoek Cellar Chardonnay 2023

• Producer: Franschhoek Cellar
• Region: Franschhoek Valley, Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Abv: 13.5%
• Vintage: 2023
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £10.00
• Medal: Gold

In the green and pleasant Franschhoek Valley amidst wild flowers and gardens sits Franschhoek Cellar with a tradition of producing inspiring wines. This Chardonnay is a good example. With a very pale lime-green colour, the aromatics show greengage and green apple with gentle lees and white pepper overlay. The palate is creamy with lively acidity supporting the concentrated, well-defined flavours. An elegant style with good length, the wine will pair nicely with a light fish dish, such as sole meunière. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Weine Johann Erzherzog, Vulkandland Steiermark DAC Chardonnay, Ried Tieschener Königsberg, 2020

• Producer: Weine Johann Erzherzog
• Region: Vulkanland Steiermark
• Country: Austria
• Abv: 13.5%
• Vintage: 2020
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £18.00
• Medal: Gold

Johann Erzherzog has his modern ‘iconic’ winery with its steel-and-glass ‘silo-shaped’ entrance in a verdant bowl of trees and grass just into South Styria. But this Chardonnay comes from a single vineyard in the Tieschen village further east on the border with Slovenia. Matured in old wood barrels, this Chardonnay is pale lemon in hue with greengage, green apple, white peach and lemon blossom and a creamy-smoky nuance Brisk acidity and a hint of white pepper support the mid-weight palate. A perfect wine to match crab cakes with aioli dip. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Howard Park Heritage Chardonnay 2020

• Producer: Howard Park Wines
• Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
• Country: Australia
• Abv: 13%
• Vintage: 2020
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £18.00
• Medal: Gold

Founded in 1988 on an old settlement sheep farm in Margaret Rive, this original vineyard is home to Howard Park’s award-winning cellar door and is planted to, among other varieties, Chardonnay. Howard Park is also home to its ‘rootlings’ nursery, where clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy and of Gewurztraminer produce about 40,000 rootlings per annum. This Chardonnay is exceptional. Pale lemon-green in colour, the wine exhibits green apple, pear, quince and greengage fruit with leesy notes and subtle vanilla oak. Beautifully balanced, the palate has a linear structure and lively acidity with hints of clove and allspice on the mid-palate and finish. A recommended match is grilled trout with salsa fresca. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

St Hugo Wines, Eden Valley Chardonnay, 2022

• Producer: St Hugo Wines
• Region: Eden Valley, South Australia
• Country: Australia
• Abv: 13.0%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £20.00
• Medal: Gold

St Hugo honours Hugo Gramp the third generation of the Gramp family who established vineyards in this region in the mid-19^th century. An elegant yet powerful wine, this Chardonnay has a pale lemon colour and plenty of tropical fruit-mango, guava, ripe peach, passionfruit-toasty and vanilla oak supported by refreshing acidity and creamy texture. A beautifully balanced wine to pair with Chicken Canzanese, casseroled with chopped prosciutto, sage, bay leaf, garlic, rosemary, and a whisper of crushed red pepper and white wine. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay 2021

• Producer: Paul Cluver Wines
• Region: Elgin, Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Abv: 13%
• Vintage: 2021
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £21.50
• Medal: Gold

Fourth generation winegrowers based in Elgin, Paul Cluver Family Wines continues the vision of patriarch Dr. Paul Cluver, producing exceptional, long-lived wines from their own vineyards. This estate Chardonnay is medium lemon-yellow in hue, showing ripe orchard fruits with cream, butter and gentle toasty oak. Quince and pineapple come through on the rounded palate supported by brisk acidity. Quite full-bodied, the wine has a long sappy, savoury finish. Perfect for grilled swordfish steaks with fresh herb butter. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Zonnebloem Chardonnay 2022

• Producer: Zonnebloem
• Region: Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Abv: 13%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £11.50
• Medal: Gold

Based in Stellebosch in the Coastal sub-region, Zonnebloem produce a wide range of wines. Bonny van Niekerk is the winemaker with two decades of winemaking experience and she crafts the main ranges. Of particularly note are wines like this very reasonably-priced example. Pale lemon coloured, the wine is packed with yellow fruits and melon and an orange blossom lift. Just dry, the mid-weight palate is balanced with well-defined fruit balanced by brisk acidity. A spice note from lees ageing adds interest. A lovely wine that will match poached salmon with a simple Marie-Rose sauce on the side. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2022

• Producer: Jacob’s Creek
• Region: Australia
• Country: Australia
• Abv: 13%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £8.00
• Medal: Gold

Whoever says that there are no exceptionally drinkable wines from the giants of wine production is a fool…or worse. This Chardonnay from the ubiquitous Jacob’s Creek is well-worth picking up from your local off-license or supermarket at under £10. Pale lemon-yellow, the wine has intense mixed yellow fruits and gentle buttered toast from well-judged oak. A note of crushed yellow rose petals adds aromatic interest. Dry, the palate shows crisp acidity, good concentration and nice length. A crowd-pleaser that will work well as an aperitif or with most ‘everyday dishes’ calling for a mid-weight white wine. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

The Ned Chardonnay 2022

• Producer: Marisco Vineyards
• Region: Marlborough
• Country: New Zealand
• Abv: 13.5%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £11.00
• Medal: Gold

Brent Marris, founder of Marisco, apparently spent his childhood on ‘The Ned’, one of Marlborough’s mountain peaks. So, The Ned wines are meant to evoke an ethos of ‘energetic youth.’ This Chardonnay does so—pale lemon-yellow coloured, the wine shows yellow peach and white cherry supported by creamy lees and mellow smoky oak. The mid-weight palate benefits from bright fruit character, crisp acidity and supple texture.  Beautifully-defined, the wine will make a good match for vegetable risottos, or Christmas turkey with all the accompaniments. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Kavaklidere Saraplari Egeo Chardonnay 2022

• Producer: Kavaklidere Saraplari
• Region: Aegean
• Country: Turkey
• Abv: 14%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £12.75
• Medal: Gold

One of the most respected wineries in Turkey, Kavaklidere was founded by the And family in the early 20^th century and is named after one of the districts in Ankara. This Chardonnay comes from their Aegean region vineyards near Ankara and those in the Côtes d’Avanos. Pale silver lime-leaf green, the wine exhibits green fruits, apple and pear with white pepper, subtle vanilla oak and gentle leesy yeast. The medium-bodied palate is dry with racy acidity, creamy texture and a little astringency adding grip. The creamy texture and butter nuance make this a perfect paring for Turkish dishes such as Swordfish Shish Kebab or Mussels with currants, pine nuts and onion spiced with cinnamon and allspice. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Nederburg Winemasters Chardonnay 2022  

• Producer: Nederburg Wines
• Region: Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Abv: 13.5%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £11.99
• Medal: Gold

Established in 1791, Nederburg has long produced stunning wines in vineyards close to the southern Atlantic Ocean, which benefit from cooling breezes. This wine is a beautiful, well-balanced example, showing a pale lemon-green hue and orchard fruits with delicate toasty oak. Mid-weight, the palate is integrated with fresh acidity and allspice and cinnamon notes leading to a lingering finish. Brilliant pairing with the queen of Afrofusion cuisine Chef Niti’s ‘sweet-and-sour’ cantaloupe beignets served with coconut atchar mousse and cantaloupe chutney. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Castillo de Aresan Terruno Chardonnay DO La Mancha 2022

• Producer: Castillo de Aresan
• Region: La Mancha
• Country: Spain
• Abv: 13%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Cork
• Approx. retail price: £13.00
• Medal: Gold

With 200 hectares of organic vineyards at 750m altitude, Castillo de Aresan produces fabulous wines in this oft under-sung region. Red clay soils over limestone work well to produce this remarkable Chardonnay. Tropical, showing pineapple, guava and passionfruit flavours, the crisp acidity and creamy, toasty oak are nicely balanced. Acacia honey and citrus zest notes add interest to the mid-weight palate and finish. An intriguing wine to serve with Thai or Vietnamese dishes. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Morandé Black Series Chardonnay 2021

• Producer: Viña Morandé S.A.
• Region: Casablanca Valley
• Country: Chile
• Abv: 13.5%
• Vintage: 2021
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £19.99
• Medal: Gold

More than a decade ago Viña Morandé pioneered the cool climate Casablanca Valley, exploring how to make great wine in a much cooler climate than the traditional Chilean home of wine in the Central Valley. The grapes here are planted on clay loam soils at around 300m altitude and benefit from the cooling breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean. This wine demonstrates the importance of the terroir with peaches, ripe pears and quince fruit accented by creamy, brioche oak notes. Aromatic even on the palate, the wine has lively acidity and nice integration leading to a long finish. The brightness of the wine will match rich fish, such as grilled tuna or salmon steaks. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Valdivieso Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2022

• Producer: Valdivieso Wines
• Region: Limari Valley
• Country: Chile
• Abv: 13%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £18.oo
• Medal: Gold

Valdivieso’s history began in 1879, when Don Alberto Valdivieso founded Champagne [sic] Valdivieso S.A., the first sparkling wine house in South America. So, it should be no surprise that Valdivieso today produces fantastic Chardonnay. This example from the Pacific Ocean-cooled Limari Valley north of Santiago is distinctive. Pale lemon-green in hue, the wine is intensely aromatic with orchard fruits and subtle toasty oak lifted by white flowers. The well-balanced palate has bracing acidity, glossy texture and a lingering, penetrating finish. Well-balanced and integrated, this elegant wine would be a great match for lobster Newburg. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Voyager Estate Coastal Chardonnay 2022

• Producer: Voyager Estate
• Region: Margaret River
• Country: Australia
• Abv: 13%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £22.oo
• Medal: Gold

Founded in 1978 by Michael Wright, family-owned Voyager Estate makes wines solely from their estate grapes organically-grown on Stephens Valley’s undulating slopes in Margaret River.  This Chardonnay is exemplary—pale lemon-green in colour, it shows pineapple and Galia melon fruit with accents of butter, vanilla and clove. Mid-weight, the palate has crisp acidity, creamy texture and excellent length with exotic Indian spices on the finish. An elegant, savoury wine that will be good for dinner party chicken Kiev. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay 2022

• Producer: Kendall-Jackson
• Region: California
• Country: USA
• Abv: 13.5%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• Retail price: £22.00
• Medal: Gold

Kendall-Jackson has been part of our wine-drinking repertoire for more than three decades. And the Vintners Reserve Chardonnay delivers on the promise of a superb California wine at a reasonable price. Reliable, but not boring, this Chardonnay has a pale lemon-green hue and a tropical bouquet and flavour of pineapple, white cherry, green pear, guava and quince with coconut and vanilla oak influence. Full-bodied and just dry, the broad, yet textured, palate shows fresh acidity with allspice and cinnamon accents. A wine for a Chinatown feast, crispy duck included. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

La Crema Monterey Chardonnay 2022

• Producer: La Crema Vineyards
• Region: Monterey, California
• Country: USA
• Abv: 13.5%
• Vintage: 2022
• Closure: Screwcap
• retail price: £24
• Medal: Gold

From its home in Sonoma Valley, La Crema has branched out, here to south of the Bay into Monterey, where Chardonnay has long flourished. Stylish, this wine has plenty of green apple and pear with orange and lemon floral notes supported with delicate toast and vanilla oak. A pretty wine with racy acidity, light body and good definition, kitchen spices add to the finish. Recommended with light vegetarian dishes, or grilled prawns.  (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay 2020

• Producer: Paul Cluver Wines
• Region: Elgin, Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Abv: 13%
• Vintage: 2020
• Closure: Screwcap
• Approx. retail price: £21.50
• Medal: Gold

Elgin is nestled among the Hottentots-Holland Mountains near to the oceans with exposure to the cool breezes from the south, and so the region produces cool climate wines. This Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay shows extra complexity due to an additional year of ageing in bottle. Yet, the wine is surprisingly youthful with a pale lemon-green colour and delicate green fruits, white flower and lifted vanilla pod and brioche. Light-bodied, the palate has racy acidity, excellent definition and a delicate touch of spice on the long finish. Perfect with Dover sole or Oysters Rockerfeller where the wine’s zingy acidity plays the high notes and the gentle smoky oak the low notes. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

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