The Queen of White Wine
Chardonnay is a grape that has inspired a thousand songs, makes up the cornerstone of any great gastronomic experience, and is the most widely planted white grape in the world. It can cater to anybody’s personal taste, depending on where it is grown: from crisp, saline, and mineral, to rich and buttery.
Chardonnay likely originated in the Burgundy region of France, but has spread to anywhere in the world where wine is made. It is something of a chameleon, adapting to the local climate and becoming a prism for a region’s terroir, whether it’s the sun-soaked hills of California, or the cool interior of the European continent.
In this article, we’ll explore the best Chardonnay regions in the world and mention some of our top bottle recommendations, so you can choose the region that best suits your style.
What Makes Chardonnay Special?
Chardonnay’s heritage has been lost to history, with multiple viticulturists failing to agree on its parentage. However, we almost certainly know it comes from the Burgundy region of France, which is still probably the best-known region for Chardonnay.
The main attribute that makes Chardonnay special and so widely spread is its flexibility. While it is naturally high-yielding and leafy, it is often pruned heavily by winemakers - and it adapts well to such treatment, channeling its resources into the all-important clusters of fruit.
It also adapts equally well, in terms of flavour, to winemaking with and without oak barrels. It depends entirely on the winemaker, but oaked Chardonnay is known for being creamy and tropical, while unoaked Chardonnay is typically refined and packed with citrus fruits. Both styles are objectively delicious.
This versatility also makes Chardonnay a reliable partner for food. With its naturally high acidity, it isn’t out of place next to a roasted chicken or even a ham – dishes that less vigorous wines would be overpowered by. On one hand, it’s an incredibly versatile wine, a crowd pleaser. On the other, it has also been the basis for countless serious, refined, and award-winning wines.
Burgundy, France
Burgundy is the wine region which all other regions are measured against. It is famed for making Chardonnays with strong minerality, refined oakiness (if oak is used at all), and undeniable elegance.
It’s also known for its slew of famous Chardonnay sub-regions, all of which probably ring a bell, even for casual wine enjoyers: Chablis, Maconnais, and the Côte de Beaune.
To get to know Burgundy, we first recommend a broader wine, harvested from vineyards all across the Côte de Beaune. This stretch of land contains some of the finest Chardonnay appellations, such as Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. The wine is from Albert Bichot, and it is the perfect approachable Burgundy to get us started, with classic flavours and a youthful character.
Burgundy is a region with countless sub-regions, and which of those is the best is simply a matter of personal preference. We would be remiss not to recommend exploring Chablis, through the incredible winery La Chablisienne, founded in 1923. This Chardonnay is more tense and mineral on the palate, showing the amazing variety that Burgundy has to offer.
However, one of our personal favourite regions is Maconnais, long regarded as the black sheep of Burgundy. It contains the Pouilly-Fuisse appellation, a piece of land that grows Chardonnay exclusively. We recommend this from Joseph Burrier, a complex, medium-bodied wine that comes from an isolated hilltop in Pouilly-Fuisse. It is a perfect example of terroir-driven Burgundy Chardonnay, with notes of white flowers, orchard fruits, and zesty citrus.
California, USA
Where Burgundy is elegant, California is big and bold. However, Californian wine should not be regarded as basic or unrefined - it is one of the few regions in the world that can hold a flame to Burgundy in terms of critical acclaim.
The Californian terroir simply produces a different style of Chardonnay, one that is bursting with sunny, buttery, and ripe notes. Bread & Butter winery, based in Napa Valley, produces a brilliant and affordable wine that can help you get acquainted with this style. Their oak-aged Chardonnay is harvested from vineyards in Monterey and Carneros, and is packed with hints of vanilla and buttered pastries.
If you’re seeking something more complex, we’ll point you towards Mannequin by Orion Swift Winery.
It features four other white French grapes, but Chardonnay takes up the lion’s share of the blend, with 91%. It has some beautiful flavours of green apple skin and ripe orchard fruits, alongside a creamy, oaky side. The winemaker took special care to source the grapes from the vineyards in California that have the coolest climate, boosting the wine with a vibrant and boisterous acidity.
Washington, USA
Just up the coast from California, we have the lesser known region of Washington State, which has been steadily rising in stature, particularly among critics. It is already considered one of the finest regions for Chardonnay, and offers a different, more European take on the grape, when compared to California. The Cascade mountain range that runs through the state creates a rain shadow, which (on the drier side of the mountains) has provided the ideal environment for grape growing.
Our recommendation is from Charles Smith, a DIY winemaker with a punk attitude that perfectly encapsulates the region of Washington as a whole. His Substance Chardonnay is bright and medium-bodied, with vibrant notes of tropical fruit, and a creamy side that shines through on the finish.
Adelaide Hills, Australia
Australia is a big place, but winemakers really do grow fantastic Chardonnay all over the country. Yarra Valley in Victoria and Margaret River in Western Australia are both considered among the best regions in the world, even though they’re about 3,000km apart. Due to this variety, Australian Chardonnay has the best of both worlds: big, buttery styles, and leaner, fresh versions.
Our recommendation is from Adelaide Hills in Southern Australia, situated approximately in between the two regions mentioned above. It is made in a balanced style, with strong hints of citrus zest and peach, as well as oak, toasted nuts, and buttered bread. We think it captures the Australian terroir perfectly: it is certainly on the boisterous side, but has a charming elegance, and complex flavours to it too.
Auckland, New Zealand
Sticking to the antipodes, New Zealand is best known for Sauvignon Blanc. However, in a small region just north of Auckland (as far north as you can go in NZ), they make some extremely refined Chardonnay. Here, the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean combine to regulate daytime temperatures, and help create a wonderfully flinty and windswept white wine.
We recommend Kumeu River, and the winery’s flagship wine, Mate’s Vineyard. Much like New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc, the country’s Chardonnay is wildly aromatic, with generous hints of almond and lemons. It can also be aged in the cellar for some time.
South Moravia, Czechia
Most Chardonnay regions in Europe live under the shadow of Burgundy’s reputation. However, there are some, particularly in the region of the Danube River Basin, that are earning their stripes. While Austria makes some stellar Gruner Veltliner and Riesling along the Danube’s banks, just to the north, Czechia is doing something special with Chardonnay.
We’re recommending Thaya, a winery based in South Moravia. This is an ancient winemaking region that has been farmed since Roman times. Their Chardonnay Apri is their flagship white wine, an elegant drink with a generous character, and plenty of tropical fruit flavours. However, this is a distinctly Old World wine, with a strong mineral side to be found on the finish.
Mendoza, Argentina
In a list of the world’s best Chardonnay regions, we would simply be wrong if we didn’t mention Argentina. This is an extreme terroir, known for its high altitude vineyards, which lend themselves to concentrated fruits and high acidity. It’s really a miracle that Chardonnay has adapted to the foothills of the Andes, where so many of Argentina’s vineyards are planted. Some of them sit up to 3,000 or 3,500 metres above sea level.
El Enemigo winery have made a name for themselves out of extreme winemaking. Their Chardonnay, our recommendation for taste-testing Argentina, was harvested from plants at 1400-1500 metres above sea level. This brings a distinct character to the wine, which you won’t find anywhere else. Notes of bitter almonds and orchard fruits intermingle with a tenacious acidity, which makes this a great wine for pairing with a variety of food.
Friuli, Italy
The final stop on our world tour is the North of Italy, a place where Chardonnay feels truly at home. Although if any lesson is to be taken from this article, it’s that Chardonnay feels at home anywhere, from the Andes to the sweltering heat of Southern Australia.
Friuli is the region of Italy that borders Slovenia, in the country’s north-eastern corner. Most of the winemaking land here is located in the south of the region, which experiences strong diurnal temperatures. For our recommendation, Jermann winery took the step of harvesting from vineyards that were planted on sandstone, producing an incredible bottle of Chardonnay. It’s another oak-aged wine, with hints of grapefruit, mango, and overall creamy, delectable character.
We started this article with the thesis that Chardonnay is an incredibly diverse grape, with something for everybody - we hope that this world tour has convinced you. Maybe you even found a bottle that suited your style. There are many more premium Chardonnays to be found here at 8Wines. We can only recommend trying as many different Chardonnay options as possible - it’s a bottomless cup, and a great grape to discover your personal preferences with.
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