Best Chardonnay Under $20
Youll want to bookmark this list of Chardonnays, because they are all a great value and absolutely delicious. Why bother with best Chardonnays under $30 when there are so many great options under $20? These wines are perfect for enjoying any night of the week, and they are great to bring to a dinner party. Everyone will be pleased by how great the wine tastes, and youll be thrilled that you got the wine for a great price.This might be one of our favorite Chardonnay deals. With a 93-point rating from James Suckling, the price is very generous. With complex flavors of quince, apple, and hazelnut, this wine is rounded out by hints of cream and vanilla.Mount Eden Vineyards Edna Valley Chardonnay 2013, $19.99For yet another side of Chardonnay, try this wine from Mount Eden Vineyards. Showing mouthwatering notes of lime zest, fresh florals, and guava, you might think that you’ve stepped into a tropical paradise with this wine.
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Things To Consider When Buying Chardonnay
When it comes to buying chardonnay, you need to bear in mind a whole range of factors.
Typically, you will find three main types of chardonnay in your local store. These common flavors are both popular and versatile. You can make your purchase based on the chardonnay taste or how well it goes with your meal.
To make the right decision, check out our complete list of considerations below.
Creamy oaked chardonnay
If you enjoy a full-bodied white, we suggest purchasing a creamy oaked chardonnay. These types of wines vary in taste. Some have a richer profile, such as grilled pineapple, lush tropical fruit, vanilla, and butterscotch. Others have a much lighter profile with hints of lemon curd, poached pear, baked apple, and a textural chalky minerality.
Creamy oaked chardonnay goes well with creamy dishes like mushroom risotto, mushroom stroganoff, lobster bisque, chicken, or leek and ham pie.
If you want to ensure you pick up a quality creamy oaked chardonnay, you should seek out a chardonnay that has been aged in oak or both fermented and aged in oak.
You can usually tell something has been oaked because the tasting descriptors will include crème brûlée, vanilla, coconut, baked apple, toasty oak, butter, brioche, butterscotch, or cream.
Also, although some chardonnay wines will age well for ten years, most oaked chardonnay wines should be consumed within 35 years of the vintage.
Citrusy unoaked chardonnay
Sparkling chardonnay: Blanc de Blancs
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Why Is Chardonnay So Popular
Chardonnay is popular with winemakers because it is easy both to grow and manipulate in the winery, with techniques like barrel fermentation, malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging. It remains popular with consumers because it offers friendly, appealing flavors and textures that make it versatile both with food and on its own.
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‘the Vincent’ Board Track Racer Chardonnay 2019
Produced with Chardonnay grapes from Columbia Valley, Washington, ‘The Vincent’ is a pure expression of Chardonnay with aromas of green apple, kiwi, stone fruit, and hints of Bosc pear with a whiff of minerality.
The acidic, medium-bodied palate delivers an explosion of flavors with tart citrus, bright apple, meringue, and cedar, with a fruity finish.
The minerality shines through on the mid-palate, creating a beautiful balance with the fruitiness.
This wine is perfect with grilled fish and shellfish. The tartness also cuts through cheeses and pastries, making it a good snack option.
Tasting Notes For Chardonnay
Chardonnay grown in cooler regions exhibits racy, crisp flavors like lemon, lime, and green apple, along with flinty or chalky mineral notes. Warmer locations coax out richer flavors like melon, peach and pineapple. Oak can add notes of vanilla, coconut, and spice, while malolactic fermentation leads to a creamy, buttery texture. Chardonnay is typically a dry wine, although some winemakers allow a touch of residual sugar.
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Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay
Penfolds
A Penfolds classic since 1991, this chardonnay consistently ranks high as one of the top-value white wines. This Australian chardonnay combines a blend of grapes from different vineyards and is bottled immediately after fermentation. The result yields a robust white wine with hints of melon and minerals . This wine is the perfect choice if you need a dry white wine to pair with seafood or chicken.
Heron Hill Classic Chardonnay Unoaked
Heron Hill Winery
One of many wineries in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, Heron Hill has tons of notable wines. But the one that fits this list best is their unoaked classic chardonnay. Its bright fruit notesdisplaying cantaloupe or hints of green apple and lemoncommand a fascinating taste worth trying. Pair this wine with seafood, nutty cheeses, or a homemade shrimp scampi. Its impressive profile far surpasses its price!
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Smoky Rose Cellars Stainless Steel Chardonnay 2020
A mildly oxidative note brings a sherry-like whiff to the nose of this 100 percent stainless steel Chardonnay, but equally present are lean and crisp orchard fruit aromas. The palate provides a captivating exploration of minerality and texture. Enjoy this with a creamy goat cheese. Average price: $35. Rating: 88.
Sparkling Chardonnay: Blanc De Blancs
Chardonnay is the most popular white variety used in sparkling wine . Blanc de Blancs matches wonderfully with salty fried dishes from calamari to fried chicken.
Sparkling wines made with Chardonnay are typically called Blanc de Blancs which means white of whites and indicates the color of the grapes used to make the wine. Blanc de Blancs wines range in taste from a richer profile of Meyer lemon, honeycomb, yellow apple, toasted vanilla and hazelnut to a leaner profile of lemon zest, minerals, lime and honeysuckle.
How Its Made and What to Look For
To make a , the grapes are picked a bit earlier to preserve the . After the wines are made the winemaker creates a blend, called a cuvée, which then undergoes a second fermentation within a Champagne-style bottle. Depending on how the wines were produced and how long they age after the second fermentation is what will determine the primary taste profile. The longer the wine ages,
When seeking out this style, look for these clues:
- Seek out 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs sparkling wines
- Pay attention to the length of the tirage to find your style preference
- From Champagne, look for wines from villages in the
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How Do You Pick A Good Oaked Chardonnay
The best way to find a good quality oaked chardonnay is to try as many different types as you can before settling on your favorite. You may want to try varieties from different regions or with different levels of sweetness, for example. Keep in mind that most wines are meant to be enjoyed within two years of their vintage date !
Evening Lands Seven Springs Chardonnay 2019
From Oregons Eola-Amity Hills AVA, tropical fruit and banana runt aromas spring from this Chardonnay with lovely elegance. Generous acidity on the palate makes the wine extremely refreshing and complements its broad texture. On the finish, expect notes of sherry and yeasty brioche. Average price: $35. Rating: 90.
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Perfect Food Pairings For Chardonnay
Chardonnay is as versatile at the table as it is in the vineyard. Keep stylistic differences in mind when pairing with food.
- Seafood: Enjoying lobster, crab or shrimp scampi? Choose a rich, buttery Chardonnay. With a briny or delicate dish, like oysters or cod, go with Chablis or a similar version.
- Poultry: Chardonnay is great with chicken and turkey, and youll want a richer style if your dish includes a creamy sauce.
- Cheese: Oaky, buttery Chardonnay is your best bet with bolder cheeses like cheddars and blues. Brighter, tangier cheeses call for a lighter, crisper style.
- Things to avoid: Chardonnay is not a great match with foods that are too spicy, bitter or acidic.
Far Niente Winery Napa Valley Estate Chardonnay
Chardonnay was the first grape cultivated by Napas Far Niente in 1979. The Estate Chardonnay is classically Californian, with candied nuts, figs, and Madagascar vanilla on the palate, plus sweeping acidity to keep everything balanced. You can drink now or age for up to 10 years, if youd like. Average price: $60.
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Where Does Chardonnay Get Its Buttery Flavour
Malolactic Fermentation is where the harder Malic acid is converted into the softer Lactic acid and diacetyl which gives the wine a buttery flavour.
Traditionally wine merchants in the United Kingdom when purchasing wine in France would bite into a tart apple like Granny Smith containing high malic acid before tasting the wine. By increasing the level of malic acid in their mouth, they would highlight balance faults in the wine allowing better negotiation on price.
When it came time to sell the wine, sample tastings would be served with cheese to increase the level of lactic acid, making the wine taste softer and smoother. Hence the saying, buy on apples and sell on cheese in the wine trade.
This is effectively what MLF achieves, making the wine softer and increasing the fruit flavours adding a buttery mouthfeel and often Hazelnut notes. As the development of more complex elegant wines continues, MLF levels are often restricted to only allowing a portion of the wine to go through the MLF process.
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Average Price: $125 MSRP
The Whiskey:
The juice is a blend of four whiskeys three straight bourbons and one straight rye. The rye is a 100 percent malted rye thats three years old. The bourbons are two, five, and 15 years old.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a Pecan Sandie vibe with a flake of salt, spiciness derived from fresh ginger juice, and dark chocolate laced with raw sugar and apple-soaked cinnamon sticks that have been ground to a fine powder. The palate builds on that cinnamon spice with a touch of nutmeg and clove that ties to a vanilla pudding-esque svelte body next to little pops of dried pecan shells, faux maple syrup, cinnamon toast with plenty of butter, more of that ginger, and a touch of subtle red fruit. The mid-palate leans creamy with light milk chocolate that leads back to the warmth with a dried red peppercorn pepperiness next to a rush of cedar boxes full of vanilla tobacco leaves with the slightest echo of menthol and dried reeds on the very deep back end.
Bottom Line:
Freddie Noe hit this one out of the park. Its crazy-sippable neat while really going deep when you bloom it with a little water. Its just excellent in every respect.
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Antinori Castello Della Sala Bramto Chardonnay
Source: www.lcbo.com
Price- $23.95
This Chardonnay originates from vineyards in Umbria and is made by Antinori . It has notes of nuts, yellow plum, lees, toast, vanilla, and a remarkable minerality. Its a treat to sip, with crisp citrus aromas and traces of almond. The partial aging in oak and the remaining half in stainless steel give it a smooth buttery flavor.
It has an alcohol content of 12.5% and a sugar content of 4g/L.
Food Pairing
This wine pairs well with seafood.
Hartford Court Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2020
Sonomas Russian River Valley has proven caliber on the high-quality Chardonnay front, and this expression is a fine example. Ripe and baked stone fruits arrive in luxurious harmony along with the influence of 9 ½ months of French oak aging. Subtle mineral texture on the palate provides the icing on the cake for this classic California Chardonnay. Average price: $35. Rating: 89.
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Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay
Source: www.lcbo.com
Price- $10.95
Lindemans is among Australias renowned wine brands. Out of their range of wines, Bin 65 is their most well-known wine. Tropical fruit, pear, and a well-balanced hint of nutty oak dominate the scents and flavors. It is a light to medium-bodied Chardonnay and has a crisp, clear finish. It contains 13% alcohol and 9 grams of sugar per liter.
Food Pairings
This wine is ideal for shellfish, poultry, or pasta.
Decoy Sonoma Chardonnay 2020
Beautifully crisp with oaky, buttery notes, Decoy Sonoma Chardonnay is a pure expression of dry wine.
It is made by Decoy in Sonoma County, California, using 100% Chardonnay that is fermented in stainless steel and French oak barrels.
Aromas of green apple, nectarine, candied citrus, and flavors of stone fruit, pear, and peach create a fruit-forward profile with hints of white flowers. The finish is long, with a creamy mouthfeel that develops a slight minerality.
This wine is a match made in heaven for pasta with white sauce, shellfish, grilled and roasted salmon, and grilled vegetables.
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Tawse Sketches Of Niagara Chardonnay
Source: www.lcbo.com
Price- $19.95
This one is for those who love aged wine. This wine has a perfect mix of acidity and tannins. There are also a lot of ripe pears, herbs, spices, fresh figs, and cantaloupe. If you notice keenly, you will even get a hint of vanilla. The alcohol content is 13%, and the sugar content is 2g/L.
Food Pairing
People love this Chardonnay and rich fish, vegetables, white meat, etc.
Big Buttery Chardonnays That Are Actually Good
Maybe youre roasting a chicken and want a rich white wine pairing. Maybe you love white Burgundy and the beautiful balance of thoughtful oak aging. Maybe you stole sips of your moms buttery, ice-cubed Chardonnay as a teenager and are nostalgic for those flavors.
Whatever the reason youre seeking out a buttery Chardonnay, congratulations! Youve come to the right place. Sure, the ABC Anything but Chardonnay club may still be swinging, but theres nothing wrong with preferring a richer style.
Read on for eight big, buttery Chardonnays that are totally delicious.
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Chamisal Vineyards Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay 2018
This Chardonnay is all about texture, with creamy, buttery aromas previewing the experience that awaits in glass. Each soft and velvety sip arrives with mild acidity, amplifying subtle mineral notes that reign in its weighty viscosity. Enjoy with a rich risotto or classic roast chicken dinner. Average price: $38. Rating 89.
Fleur Du Cap Chardonnay
Source: www.lcbo.com
Price $12.95
The hue of this medium-bodied Chardonnay is pale yellow with a subtle green tint. Citrus aromas dominate the nose, accompanied by hints of tropical fruit until a trace of oak spice emerges. This is a fruit-forward vino with a perfect acidity-fruit combination. A deep, lasting aftertaste complements a great mix of sweetness. The alcohol content is 14%, and the sugar content is 3g/L.
Food Pairing
This wine goes nicely with seafood, including mussels, oysters, and fish. Its also a good match with rich curries and chicken meals.
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Some Chardonnay Buyers Also Ask
How many glasses of wine will get me drunk?
Two glasses of wine in an hour will make you legally drunk unless you weigh 250lbs or more. If you want to drink responsibly, drink wine slowly and alternate with lemonade or water.
How do I capitalize chardonnay?
Weirdly enough, wines are capitalized based on origin. If a wine is named after a grape or something, it isnt capitalized. But if its named after a region, then it is. This means that wines like chardonnay, merlot, and malbec are not capitalized.
Is alcohol-free chardonnay available?
Yes alcohol-free chardonnay is available. However, the variety of flavors you get from real chardonnays will not be present in alcohol-free chardonnay. You can find alcohol-free versions of most alcoholic drinks.
Grard Bertrand Domaine De Laigle Chardonnay Limoux 2020
A light gold-greenish Chardonnay wine has refreshing quality to it wiht mineral and fruit flavors. For those who want to try some French Chardonnay with New World taste profiles. Give this one a shot. Its from a well-known large French winery that makes good wines.
Tasting Notes: Oak, pear, citrus, apple, vanilla, toast, minerals, peach
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Oaked Chardonnay Is The Perfect Wine
The great thing about oaked chardonnay is that it can be enjoyed year-round. This style of white wine is best served at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it enjoyable for sipping on warm spring afternoons and cold winter nights. During the summer months, you can chill it down to below 40 degrees for a cool and refreshing white wine.
Oaked Chardonnays That Defy Expectations
Chardonnay is the most widely planted white grape variety in the world. It is also the one most often associated with oaky white wine because it takes well to oak, despite whether it spends a year in barrel or just a few months. Oak-fermented or -aged Chardonnays are made across the globe in a variety of climates, so if creamy, buttery, nutty Chardonnays are your palate predilection, these wines are for you.
Clendenen Family 2016 Le Bon Climat Chardonnay $50, 94 points. Jim Clendenen saves his richer styles of Chardonnay for this family brand, and he remains a master of the style, adhering to balance while toying with woody lushness. Aromas of roasted nuts, toasted oak and butter meet with crisp and fresh citrus blossoms on the nose, while the viscous palate combines roasted apple, pecan and apple blossom flavors with bright acidity. Editors Choice.Matt Kettmann
J. Moreau & Fils 2018 Valmur Grand Cru $108, 94 points. The richness of oak expresses itself as the scent of roasted hazelnut on this wines nose. Smooth and rounded, the palate can handle the oaky resonance that sets the tone. An edge of honey is balanced by lemony brightness. Concentration and freshness signal that this wine will age well. Drink 20252040. Boisset Collection. Anne Krebiehl MW
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