Asian Masters: 10 best value Chardonnays

You will be hard pressed to find a wine list in Hong Kong that doesn’t have a Chardonnay on it, be it a well-pedigreed Montrachet or a crisp, lean Chardonnay from Australia’s cool climate Adelaide Hill or Tasmania.

The strength of the grape lies in its versatility. Regardless of terroir, it’s highly adaptable and can produce wines with green fruits to ripe tropical notes, and varying from price point to price point. We’ve rounded up 10 of the best value, high performers from our Asian Chardonnay Masters that could add value and diversity to any restaurant or bar’s wine list.

All the wines featured here represent a diverse range of geography from Casablanca Valley in Chile, to Languedoc in France to Adelaide Hills in Australia. Each wine has won at least a Silver medal, with many nabbing a Gold, and there’s even one wine that sells under HK$160 (US$20) which was awarded the ultimate accolade of a ‘Master’.

The wines were judged solely based on variety (pure or a blend) and price by a cherry-picked panel of judges including general manager of Hong Kong’s biggest wine retailer, Watson’s Wine, as well as Ying-Hsien Tan MW and Yang Lu, wine director of Shangri-la Hotels and Resorts, who was just recently named China’s first ever Master Sommelier, to name a few.

Click through the pages to find their top picks.

Laroche Wines Mas La Chevaliere Vignoble Peyroli 2014

Award: Gold
Price: HK$120
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13%
PH: 3.37
Acidity: 3.9 g/l H2S04
Producer: Laroche Wines
Region: Languedoc, France
Oak: 20% French oak and stainless vats

Tasting note: This is a well-balanced Chardonnay from the Languedoc, thanks to a dry summer in 2014 that spared it from heat waves. Showing a pale straw colour, the wine has aromas of white fruits and white blossom, with a hint of spices. The palate is consistent with nose with a persistent finish.

Mezzacorona Chardonnay  Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT 2016 

Award: Gold
Price: HK$120
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13%
PH: 5.5
Acidity: 3.4
Producer: Mezzacorona Group
Region: Trentino, Italy

Tasting note: Made from vineyards planted on the highest hillside vines of Trentino, the grapes benefit from long sunlight and cool nights that help the grapes retain their aromas and acidity. The wine shows subtle flavours of peach, nectarine, pear and spice.

Ventisquero Grey Chardonnay Single Block 2015

Award: Silver
Price: Approx. HK$120
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13%
PH: 3.33
Acidity: 7.03 g/l
Producer: Viña Ventisquero Ltda
Region: Casablanca Valley, Chile
Oak: 80% French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks 

Tasting note: A fruity and crisp Chardonnay that shows some complexity thanks to its extended time on the lees (10 months) and careful battonage. It has a complex and elegant bouquet, showing aromas of tropical fruit, such as pineapple, mango and papaya, mineral and citrus notes. The oak contributes gentle notes of vanilla and dried fruit. A well structured and bright wine.

Growers Wine Group Limestone Coast Chardonnay 2016

Award: Silver
Price: HK$90
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13.37%
PH: 3.28
Acidity: 5.83
Producer: Growers Wine Group
Region: Limestone Coast, Australia
Oak: Oaked (unknown if it’s barrel aged or not)

Tasting note: From one of Australia’s leading bulk wine producers, Growers Wine Group, this value wine is a crisp and honest Chardonnay that sells for less than HK$100 a bottle. With aromas of citrus, tropical fruits and hints of nuttiness, the white holds up well on the palate with refreshing acidity and flavours.

Voyager Estate Chardonnay 2013

Award: Gold
Price: HK$300
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13.5%
PH: 3.08
Acidity: 8g/l
Producer: Voyager Estate
Region: Margaret River, Australia
Oak: Matured in French oak barrels for 10 months: 43% new, 36% one-year-old and 21% two-year-old

Tasting note: This pale straw coloured Chardonnay is hand harvested and fermented with wild yeast. Showing aromas of fresh and vibrant citrus fruits, the warm ripening period during the 2013 vintage gave the wine attractive aromas of lemon pith and grapefruit with hints of pear and stone fruits. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 10 months, giving the wine a layer of complexity with some notable flinty and mineral edge.

Alkoomi Black Label Chardonnay 2016

Award: Master
Price: Approx. HK$155
Variety: Chardonnay
ABV: 12.9%
PH: 3.27
Acidity: 6.7 g/L (Titratable acid pH 8.2)
Producer: Alkoomi
Region: Frankland River, Australia
Oak: New French oak

Tasting note: One of the best value wines from our Asian Chardonnay Masters, the Alkoomi Chardonnay shows concentrated flavours of pink grapefruit, fresh ginger and hints of vanilla, cinnamon and nuttiness. The intensity of the flavours carried through onto the palate with a creamy texture with a bright and lingering finish and savoury, nutty complexity through the palate.

Taylors’ Wines Jaraman Chardonnay 2015

Award: Gold
Price: HK$183
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13.5%
PH: 3.34
Acidity: 6.68 g/l
Producer: Taylors Wines
Region: Clare Valley/Adelaide Hills, Australia
Oak: French oak barrels

Tasting note: Showing intense lifted aromas of melon and white peach with underlying subtle savoury notes from the French oak, the ‘Jaraman’ Chardonnay delivers intensity of fruit flavours of classic melon and peach along with underlying creamy notes from the lees stirring. It’s textually restrained and shows well integrated oak with an underlying creaminess. A blend of parcels from Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills, the wine has the fleshiness of the former and the elegance of the latter.

Nepenthe Ithaca Chardonnay 2015

Award: Gold
Price: HK$120
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13.5%
PH: 3.17
Acidity: 6.75 g/L
Producer: Australian Vintage Ltd
Region: Adelaide Hills, Australia
Oak: French oak barrels

Tasting note: This is a stellar Chardonnay from Nepenthe that you can safely pick out from a bunch that delivers quality without breaking your bank. The nose is powerful and complex with pure fruit characters of white nectarine and lemon blossom complemented by complex secondary aromatics of nutty oak. It has flavours of white nectarine and refreshing citrus notes with a long finish.

Santolin Wines Chardonnay Willowlake Vineyard 2015

Award: Gold
Price: Approx. HK$250
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13.7%
PH: 3.30
Acidity: 6.6 g/Lg
Producer: Santolin
Region: Yarra Valley, Australia
Oak: 10 months in French oak barrels (30% new)

Tasting note: This 2015 Chardonnay is produced from fruit grown on a single block from the Willowlake vineyard in Gladysdale, Upper Yarra Valley. The wine is produced, according to the winery, with minimal intervention, using natural fermentation. The wine did not go through fining either and only a single filtration before bottling. Showing complex aromas of toast, yeast and flint with hint of white flower and white stone fruit, it has flavours of white peach, grapefruit and well integrated oak on the palate.

Bird in Hand Nest Egg Chardonnay 2015

Award: Master
Price: Approx. HK$490
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
ABV: 13.5%
PH: 3.11
Acidity: 6.34 g/l
Producer: Bird in Hand
Region: Adelaide Hills, Australia
Oak: French oak

Tasting: This refined wine impressed the judges with its finesse and elegance, leaving a few judges convinced that it was a Burgundy. Straw green in colour with concentrated aromas of nectarine, peach and lemon sherbet. The palate echoes the nose with great fruit intensity aided with well integrated oak flavours. A layer of complexity is added on the palate with the use of wild yeast and lees stirring.