Six delicious new-release Chardonnays from Chile

It’s something I’ve written about before, but if there’s a complement to Chile’s aptitude for Cabernet-based reds, its white wines made from Chardonnay, and in particular, in the northerly parts of the country, especially where the grapes benefit from the cooling influence of proximity to the Pacific Ocean.

Star region among such places is Limari, a small vine-growing area on the edge of the Atacama Desert that benefits from temperature-lowering fogs, and, unusually for Chile, limestone in the soil.

However, there are other pockets right along the country where greatness is achieved with Chardonnay, and my best-value pick for this year hails from a particular plot in Casablanca, Chile’s inaugural cooler, coastal-climate region – vineyards were planted in the area in the early 1980s.

All the following wines hail from an annual blind tasting of wines from Chile, which you can read more about below.

Tara Atacama Chardonnay

• Producer: Ventisquero
• Region: Huasco, Atacama
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 2023
• Grape varieties: 100% Chardonnay
• ABV: 13%
• Approx. retail price: £35
• Score: 92

A wine from the Huasco region of the Atacama, it is a remarkable feat to produce palatable results in these extreme climes, let alone Chardonnay of this quality. In terms of the flavours, there’s an appealing mix of white peach and grapefruit zest, lemon grass and salted lime, with a touch of hazelnut and cream, while the finish is firm, with a green apple and a citrusy bite bringing a mouth-watering close to this complex wine.

Tabali Talinay Caliza

• Producer: Tabali
• Region: Limarí
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 2023
• Grape varieties: 100% Chardonnay
• ABV: 12.5%
• Approx. retail price: £36
• Score: 93

If you like your Chardonnay to be skinny and refreshing, then this top expression from Tabali will thrill. Using the producer’s best and chalkiest site in Limari, there’s a lemon-lime citric core, almost Riesling like in style, allied to a subtle note of cream and oatmeal. The finish is quite biting, with salt, rock dust, and lime zest. Just 12.5% abv too – this is really an extreme style of Chardonnay, but proof of what’s possible in this northerly outpost for cool-climate wines from Chile.

Amplus

• Producer: Santa Ema
• Region: Leyda
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 20
• Grape varieties: 100% Chardonnay
• ABV:13.5 %
• Approx. retail price: £40
• Score: 94

This top expression from Santa Ema, called Amplus, is yet another sign that Chile should be taken seriously for its Chardonnay. Using grapes from the cool, coastal Leyda valley, there’s a brightness to the wine, which offsets the creamy-rich mid-palate. Among the many flavours are notes of pear and peach, along with apricot, then toast and popcorn from barrel-ageing, followed by lingering characters of citrus zest and bitter lemon on the finish.

20 Barrels Limited Edition Chardonnay, El Centinela Estate

• Producer: Cono Sur
• Region: Casablanca Valley
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 2024
• Grape varieties: 100% Chardonnay
• ABV: 13.5%
• Approx. retail price: £25
• Score: 94

My best-value pick from this year’s tasting, this single estate Chardonnay from Cono Sur’s 20 Barrels range is an outstanding wine for around £20. Hailing from the producer’s relatively cool El Centinela Estate in Casablanca, there’s a lovely citric bite to the white, even though there’s plenty of ripe fruit and creamy characters too. Indeed, there’s a well-struck balance between white-fleshed peach and ruby grapefruit, cashew nut and grilled lemon, as well as sweet vanilla and smoky toast. Nothing buttery in this, while a mouth-watering bitter-pithy zesty edge adds appeal. A find at this price.

Floresta Chardonnay

• Producer: Santa Rita
• Region: Limarí
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 2023
• Grape varieties: 100% Chardonnay
• ABV: 13.5%
• Approx. retail price: £30
• Score: 95

A really fine, mouth-watering Chardonnay from Limarí that’s hard to fault. Bottled under Santa Rita’s high-end Floresta range, it’s a flagship expression of the grape from this major wine producer, and a deliciously complex mix of wonderful barrel-influenced Chardonnay flavours. In terms of fruit, there’s plenty of juicy lemon, a hint of pear, then a touch of bitter grapefruit pith, allied to subtle characters of peanut and cashew, marshmallow and toast. What’s dominant, however, is a cleansing citrus sensation, while the finish sees a little saltiness emerge too. In short, this is a pure, refreshing wine, but also with a mouth-filling depth and creaminess.

Amelia Chardonnay

• Producer: Concha y Toro
• Region: Limarí
• Country: Chile
• Vintage: 2024
• Grape varieties: 100% Chardonnay
• ABV: 13.5%
• Approx. retail price: £45
• Score: 96

Probably Chile’s greatest expression of Chardonnay, Amelia is the top of the pile white from Concha y Toro, and uses grapes from Limarí’s Quebrada Seca sub-region, which was planted in 2009. The wine is outstanding, with a lovely oily-textured core, and notes of toasted marshmallow, peanuts, pear and peach. As you sip it, more flavours abound, with fresh lemon and rock salt emerging, mixed with crushed chalk and freshly-struck matchstick. Wonderful in being creamy and citric at the same time, offering both richness and refreshment.

How the wines were chosen

The wines featured in this selection were taken from some of the leading producers in Chile. Wines of Chile asked them to submit no more than two wines for sampling. The wineries put forward commercially available samples that they were most proud of, representing new and exciting bottles, along with the latest vintages of established labels. All the samples were assessed blind. The bottles listed above are the Chardonnays from the tasting.

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