Must-try Chardonnays: 15 top international picks

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Today marks the annual International Chardonnay Day. In celebration of one of the world’s most popular grape varieties, we highlight 15 Chardonnay wines from 10 countries, awarded top marks at the 2024 DWWA.

From steely and unoaked styles to rounded and rich, the versatility of Chardonnay is unmatched, making it a winemaker’s grape and a consumer favourite.

It’s a favourite amongst the world’s top wine experts too, with Chardonnay wines from across the globe often awarded top ratings at Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).

Its remarkable adaptability, makes it one of the most widely planted grape varieties. From winemaking choices to growing environment, Chardonnay can give a vast array of different styles ranging from fresh and mineral to full bodied wines with the ability to age.

Scroll down to discover 15 top-scoring Chardonnay wines from 7 countries

For the best of the best from the 2024 competition, look for Stella Bella’s Luminosa Chardonnay 2022 from Margaret River, Australia – one of just 50 wines awarded a Best in Show. With ultra-lean citrus-and-matchstick aromas, this wine captures the zeitgeist of modern Australian Chardonnay.

Also in the Best in Show spotlight is Delaire Graff Estate’s Banghoek Chardonnay 2022 from Stellenbosch, South Africa. A vivid, sheeny wine layered with nectarine and peach fruit, underscored by a quiet creaminess that showcases the variety’s finesse in the Cape’s coastal vineyards.

Exemplifying Chardonnay’s global reach and quality, this year’s top-rated wines include expressions from 10 countries, including Argentina, New Zealand, the US and beyond. Over 15 New World Chardonnays scored 95+ points, confirming the grape’s status as a global benchmark for excellence.

To celebrate International Chardonnay Day, we highlight a truly international selection of Chardonnay wines well worth seeking out, with many more to discover at awards.decanter.com

Must-try Chardonnays: 15 top international picks from DWWA 2024

Argentina

Bemberg Estate Wines, El Tomillo Estate La Linterna, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza 2021

Platinum, 97 points

Exhibiting striking Gualtallary character with luminous pear, apple and lime fruit which cascades bounteously over a flinty, wet stone mineral core. Alert and intense with a fine bead of succulent acidity and a very long, stylish finish. Alcohol 13.5%

Australia

Stella Bella, Luminosa, Margaret River, Western Australia 2022

Best in Show, 97 points

The fourth Margaret River Chardonnay in five years to win a place in our Best In Show selection confirms what most in the world already knew – that this region is a source of world-class Chardonnay. It’s also the second year running when a Margaret River Chardonnay from the fine 2022 vintage has impressed our judges. It’s a pale green-gold in colour, and its fine-spun, spotlessly clean, ultra-lean citrus-and-matchstick aromas are right on the zeitgeist for Australia’s Chardonnay vanguard. The palate delivers what those aromas promise: a crunchy freshness squeaking with zest, pith and citrus-laden purity. Give it time in bottle (or in the glass after you’ve poured) and you’ll discover quiet floral notes and a subtle oatflake breadth to keep you coming back to the glass. Alc 13.1%

Dawson James, Derwent Valley, Tasmania 2020

Platinum, 97 points

Oozing magnificence with its wonderful levels of honeyed fruit, super smart minerals and vibrant spice which cascade over the sleek, simmering acidity and luxuriously buttery consistency. Seriously age-worthy with a moreish tang of texture on the impeccable finish. Alc 12.5%

Sidewood, Owen’s, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2022

Platinum, 97 points

Smouldering with smoky mineral elegance, plunged into a chasm of sumptuous peach and passion fruit and alive with bracing lemon character. Immaculate and focused with a beam of sleek acidity and a wonderfully cleansing finish. Alc 12.6%

Dalrymple, Single Site, Pipers River, Tasmania 2021

Gold, 96 points

Oodles of succulent red grapefruit, lemon and pear overlay a profile of textured oak and flinty minerals. Strikingly fresh and crunchy with a generous finish. Alc 13%

Flametree, S.R.S. Wallcliffe, Margaret River, Western Australia 2022

Gold, 96 points

Fabulous and action-packed with heaps of glorious apple, pear and peach on grilled nuts and a salty, smoky note. Creamy and glossy with succulent acidity and length. Alc 13%

Canada

Le Clos Jordanne, Jordan Village, Ontario – Niagara Peninsula 2021

Gold, 95 points

Alluring white flowers, lemons and stone fruit enhanced by sweet vanilla pod oak. Flowing with mineral exuberance, flinty and crisp, with a lovely tension and charming finish. Alc 13.5%

Blomidon Estate Winery, Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia 2021

Gold, 95 points

Captivating green apple, pear and fresh lemon with a linear core of wet stone minerality and a subtle creamy complexity which builds towards the long, joyous finish. Alc 13%

Chile

Arboleda, Aconcagua Costa, Aconcagua Valley 2021

Gold, 96 points

Crammed with green apple peel, fresh white fruit and herbs which sit atop a palate of creamy vanilla splendour bedecked with alluring acidity and a flinty finish. Alc 13%

New Zealand

Mutu, Reserve, Hawke’s Bay 2021

Platinum, 97 points

Opulent ripe peach, grilled lemon and grapefruit notes with an underlying cashew nut quality. Silky and pure with a lustrous, buttery texture and bright seam of oyster shell acidity. Long and delicious with a saline finish. Alc 13.5%

Saint Clair, Reserve, Omaka, Marlborough 2022

Platinum, 97 points

Brimming with fleshy white peach and sweet grapefruit with a spine-tingling crushed stone mineral frame which teases across the palate. Creamy and rounded with an appetising lemon curd acidity and a warming toasted bread finish. Alc 13%

South Africa

Delaire Graff Estate, Banghoek, Stellenbosch 2022

Best in Show, 97 points

This is the eighth South African white to win a place in our Best In Show selection. Vin de Constance has featured twice and old-vine Chenin Blanc once — but all the other laureate winners have been Chardonnay, underlining just how happy this variety is in the Cape and particularly in Stellenbosch (it’s our third Stellenbosch Chardonnay winner). Green-gold in colour, this wine particularly impressed judges with its combination of fresh, nectarine-and-peach fruit with understated creaminess. It’s vivid, sheeny and lively in the mouth: a beautifully crafted mixture of secondary complexities with primary charm. This supremely adaptable wine would almost be as good without food as with, thanks to those comely summer fruits. No need, either, to cellar it if you don’t have that option, though it will certainly respond well to half-a-decade’s cool rest.. Alc 13.5%

Oak Valley, Groenlandberg, Elgin 2022

Platinum, 97 points

Thrilling lemon, lime and orchard fruit characters neatly combine with a subtle oak detail which complements the brilliant acid streak that lifts and extends. Precise and taut with a delectable chalky texture and salted almond-infused length. Alc 13.2%

United States

Domaine Serene, Aspect, Dundee Hills, Oregon 2021

Gold, 96 points

Luminous confit lemon and ripe orchard fruits radiate over the seam of lightly toasted oak and creamy, butterscotch texture. Stylish and luxurious with a gliding acidity. Alc 13.5%

Grgich Hills, Paris Tasting Commemorative, Napa Valley, California 2021

Gold, 96 points

Understated style with ripples of ripe pear, apple and citrus fruit embraced by a glaze of creamy vanilla oak and enriched with a fine mineral backbone. Alc 14.1%

Must-try Chardonnays: 15 top international picks

Scroll down to discover 15 top-scoring Chardonnay wines from 7 countries