Australia comes out top in Chardonnay showdown
The results of a Chardonnay tasting on Monday at the London Wine Fair have been revealed – and Australia has come out on top, with England not far behind.
Called The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown, the blind-tasting event was hosted by LWF and featured 30 wines – including two sparklings – all of which were selected by wine marketing consultant Sarah Abbott MW and Ronan Sayburn MS, CEO of The Court of Master Sommeliers.
Billed as a “celebration of Chardonnay”, the results were announced yesterday on the show’s Centre Stage, on the eve of International Chardonnay Day, which is today.
Taking first and second place were wines from Australia – with Tolpuddle Vineyard’s 2023 Chardonnay from Tasmania gaining the top spot, followed by Heytesbury Chardonnay from 2020, made by Vasse Felix in Margaret River.
Success for Essex
In third place, however, was a wine from Essex in the UK, with Danbury Ridge’s Octagon Block Chardonnay from 2023 beating a raft of famous names, from California’s Kistler to Burgundy’s Coche-Dury.
As db has written about in the past, Danbury Ridge is made from grapes grown in the Crouch Valley, which is considered the best source of Chardonnay (and Pinot Noir) in the country – mainly due to its climate: this is one of the driest and sunniest parts of the UK.
The The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown is the third ‘icon tasting’ held by LWF, with the two previous called Battle of the Bubbles (2025) and the Judgement of London in 2024.
The top 10 can be seen below, along with a handful of ‘best-value’ performers, and scroll down further to see the full list of wines in the tasting, as well as the judging panel.
Top 10 Chardonnays
- Tolpuddle Vineyard 2023 Chardonnay, Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia
- Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2020, Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia
- Danbury Ridge Octagon Block Chardonnay 2023, Essex, England
- Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2013, Champagne, France
- Bâtard-Montrachet 2022, Domaine Henri Boillot, Burgundy, France
- Bell Hill 2020, Limeworks, North Canterbury, New Zealand
- Shaw Smith M3 2021, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia
- Felton Road, Chardonnay Bannockburn 2021, Central Otago, New Zealand
- Cervaro della Sala 2023, Castello della Sala, Antinori, Umbria, Italy
- Domaine Donatsch, Unique Chardonnay Malans 2024, Graubünden, Switzerland
Top 5 best value Chardonnays (based on the highest points per £RRP)
- Familia Deicas Juanico, Preludio Barrel Select Lote No 29 2020, Canelones, Uruguay
- Ataraxia Chardonnay 2024, Hemel-en-Aarde, Walker Bay, South Africa
- Shaw Smith M3 2021, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia
- Storm, Ridge Chardonnay 2024, Hemel-en-Aarde, Walker Bay, South Africa
- Sol de Sol Chardonnay 2024, Viña Aquitania, Traiguén, Valle de Malleco, Chile
The wines tasted (in order, and by groupings)
Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2013, Champagne, France
Graham Beck CH14:227 Blanc de Blancs, Robertson, South Africa
Storm, Ridge Chardonnay 2024, Hemel-en-Aarde, Walker Bay, South Africa
Sieur d’Arques Toques & Clocher, Haute Vallée Chardonnay 2024 Limoux, France
Ataraxia Chardonnay 2024, Hemel-en-Aarde, Walker Bay, South Africa
Domaine Donatsch, Unique Chardonnay Malans 2024, Graubünden, Switzerland
Yoichi-Nobori 2024 Chardonnay, Domaine Takahiko Soga, Hokkaido, Japan
Dr. Heger Ihringer Winklerberg 2023 Chardonnay, Baden, Germany
Danbury Ridge Octagon Block Chardonnay 2023, Essex, England
Kit’s Coty Chardonnay 2023, Chapel Down, Kent, England
Familia Deicas Juanico, Preludio Barrel Select Lote No 29 2020, Canelones, Uruguay
Tolpuddle Vineyard 2023 Chardonnay, Coal River Valley, Tasmania, Australia
Shaw Smith M3 2021, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia
Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2020, Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia
Kistler Les Noisetiers 2022, Sonoma Coast, USA
Belle Côte 2021 Chardonnay, Peter Michael Winery, Sonoma, USA
Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2019, Australia
Sol de Sol Chardonnay 2024, Viña Aquitania, Traiguén, Valle de Malleco, Chile
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Bell Hill 2020, Limeworks, North Canterbury, New Zealand
Bourgogne Blanc 2020, Domaine Coche-Dury, Burgundy, France
Chablis Montee de Tonnerre Premier Cru 2021, Domaine Francois Raveneau, Burgundy, France
Chassagne Montrachet Les Chenevottes Premier Cru 2022, Alex Moreau, Burgundy, France
Bâtard-Montrachet 2022, Domaine Henri Boillot, Burgundy, France
Cervaro della Sala 2023, Castello della Sala, Antinori, Umbria, Italy
Kthma Katcapoy Stella Chardonnay 2020, Kranias Olympus, Greece
Felton Road, Chardonnay Bannockburn 2021, Central Otago, New Zealand
Torres Milmanda 2018, Conca de Barberà, Spain
Judging panel
Susie Barrie MW, wine writer
Emily Brighton MW, North South Wines
Oz Clarke, wine writer
Dawn Davies MW, Speciality Drinks
Sarah Jane Evans MW, wine writer
Tina Gellie, Decanter
Sunny Hodge, aspen & meursault and Diogenes the Dog
Laura Jewell MW, Wine Australia
Elizabeth Kelly MW, Tesco
Tony Lécuroux MS, Sommelier & Wine Consultant
Jiachen Lu, Le Cordon Bleu
Victoria Mason MW, The Wine Society
Charles Metcalfe, wine writer
Rebecca Palmer, Corney & Barrow
Pierpaolo Petrassi MW, Waitrose
Peter Richards MW, wine writer
Jancis Robinson MW OBE, wine writer
Patrick Schmitt MW, The Drinks Business
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