The 20 Best Chardonnays For Every Budget
From oaky and buttery to bright and citrusy.
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Chardonnay is one of the most popular grape varieties in the world, and for good reason. It thrives in most environments and can be manipulated by winemakers to impart many different characteristics and flavor profiles. This means chardonnays vary widely in taste, aroma, and price.
Our top picks
What is chardonnay?
Chardonnay is a white grape variety grown around the world. It's particularly popular in the Burgundy region of France, Washington, California, Oregon, Argentina, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand. It is also one of the three main grape varieties in Champagne, so you'll find it growing in that French region, too.
What does chardonnay taste like?
Not every chardonnay tastes the same. "The methods that influence the dramatic flavor differences in chardonnay involve fermentation in either oak or steel, creating three main types of flavor profiles," said Sandra Guibord, author and CEO and founder of Sandra’s Wine Life, a wine-education website. "Big oaky and buttery, lightly oaked, and unoaked."
Chardonnay is also heavily influenced by the terroir, or the region, geography, elevation, and climate it is grown in. For example, a chardonnay grown in rocky soil by the sea might have more minerality than a chardonnay grown further inland.
Is chardonnay dry or sweet?
Chardonnay is typically a dry wine, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have any sweetness to it at all; it means fewer residual sugars are present. But other factors can affect whether a wine is dry or sweet. Often, the presence of fruity notes and what material the wine was aged in can influence a wine's sweetness. Because we often associate fruit with sweetness, when we pick up on this in wine, we perceive the wine as sweeter. When a wine is aged in oak, it can extract sugar compounds from the wood, creating a sweeter flavor.
How we chose these wines
We tapped the expertise of some food-industry folks to find out what chardonnays they like. We included varieties that fit all budgets and cover all the common chardonnay flavor profiles. Here are the best chardonnays you need to try.
When on the hunt for a big, buttery, and oaky chardonnay, look for this bottle from the Napa Valley. It has hints of peach with a creamy mouthfeel.
"Fermenting in new French oak barrels for ten days imparts rich, bold flavors and golden color, which makes it so special and delicious," Guibord said.
This lightly oaked chardonnay comes forward with notes of tropical fruit flavors and a nice balanced acidity.
"With less time spent fermenting in the oak barrels, it allows the delicate fruit notes to take precedent, making this one of the best examples of a medium-bodied chardonnay," Guibord said.
This is Guibord's favorite chardonnay, and we can see why. "Fermentation in steel brings out the crisp minerality and fresh green apple taste," she said. "Hailing from Chablis in Burgundy, France, it has an elegant, dry finish, encouraging another sip."
"White wine, specifically chardonnay, from Argentina may be one of the best-kept secrets in the world of wine," said Alex Cuper, beverage director at Chicago-based El Che Steakhouse & Bar.
"The elevation, mineral-rich soils, and sun exposure, coupled with the Argentinian mindset of letting the vineyards do the work, makes for a bright, energetic, and very inviting style of chardonnay," he said. His favorite is El Enemigo for its salinity and slight nuttiness.
Camp Chardonnay comes from the Hobo Wine Company based in Sonoma County. Their entire Camp collection, which includes a zinfandel, merlot, and a cabernet sauvignon, is meant to showcase the quality of the region.
Scott Stroemer, beverage director at the Middle Eastern restaurant Galit in Chicago, loves it for the "creamy, buttery [flavor] with bright acid to balance," he said. " [It's a] good, clean, and affordable wine that reminds us chardonnay can be great."
"Chardonnay with a touch of sauvignon blanc, this represents for us the best of what chardonnay can be in the Middle East," Stroemer said. It's bright and refreshing, yet creamy and balanced.
The 2019 vintage of this chardonnay won a top award at the Sommelier's Choice Awards—a double gold with a score of 96. It's earthy and oaky and lively on the palate.
This chardonnay from Burgundy is "light and bright and easy to drink," according to lead bartender Matthew Veronesi at Willa's in Tampa, Fla. "It reads on the traditional French style of chardonnay and has those oaky back tastes." And at $15, it's an affordable bottle.
If a super oaky chard isn't your style, Ryan Schmidtberger, chef and partner at American bistro Hancock St. in New York City, suggests this one from Monterey County, Calif.
"It’s well-balanced and unoaked, so more of the minerals and tropical fruits come out," he said. "But you still know you’re drinking a California chardonnay."
If you're a fan of California wines, you have to try this one from Napa Valley. "The gorgeous bright yellow-gold color resembles its citrusy taste and perfect smell," said Ebony Austin, owner of Nouveau Bar & Grill in Georgia. "It’s incredibly smooth and has flavors of apple and kiwi. It’s one’s of the best chardonnays under the $100 price point."
The Grgich Hills Chardonnay scored a 97 at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2019, and winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich is known as the "King of Chardonnay." Once you taste this wine, you'll know why. It has natural acidity and notes of tropical fruit, best served with seafood or roast chicken.
This chardonnay hails from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. "The grape is expressed to a golden elixir with notes of tropical fruit married with elements from the introduction of the oak, such as vanilla and baking spice," said Patrick Evans-Hylton, culinary educator and historian and writer for Virginia Eats And Drinks. "Best of all, it’s well priced and easily available."
Chardonnay can sometimes feel like a fancy, unapproachable wine. Well, not this one. It's got a super affordable price tag at $15 a bottle and is easy to drink.
"[This] unoaked French chardonnay is super crisp, clean, and approachable," said Kilolo Strobert, owner of wine shop Fermented Grapes in Brooklyn.
"This classic New World wine delivers in all the right ways," Strobert said. "[It's] also a personal favorite, as it is from Phil Long, a Black winemaker." Take a sip and you'll get hints of pineapple followed by butterscotch from the French oak barrels the wine is aged in.
This chardonnay is vegan, organic, and sustainably made. "Viña Echeverría is still a family-owned and -managed estate winery, and its vineyards and house occupy the same location as they did nearly 100 years ago," Strobert said. You'll get notes of juicy mango, apple, and citrus.
This chardonnay from Oregon has top scores from Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, and wine critic James Suckling. "This offers ripe-pineapple and lime-juice aromas, as well as white peaches and wet stones, in a very expressive mode," Suckling said in his review. "The palate has a very smooth core of mellow, cashew nuts and white peaches with some very assertive and dense, fleshy-peach and praline notes to close."
"This is one of the chardonnays that I introduce to clients who say, 'I don't like chardonnay.'" said Regine Rousseau, sommelier, wine educator, and CEO of the marketing company Shall We Wine.
"It drinks beyond its price point. Fermented in stainless, this wine is energetic, pure, and bursting with ripe green apple, lemon, and white flowers."
"This chardonnay comes from the 'Hill of Priests,' which is the highest hilltop in Beru, France," said Bethany Heinze, beverage director of neighborhood restaurant Vern's in Charleston, S.C. "The wine has incredible complexity and depth, and the lack of sulfur addition ('San Soufre') allows the wine to maintain its natural vibration and express itself fully.”
This chardonnay from South Australia has won some big awards. In 2020, it took home both the best white wine and the best chardonnay at the Las Vegas Global Wine Awards. Take a sip and you'll pick up on the oaky, buttery notes, along with hints of melon and citrus.
This New Zealand chardonnay snagged the Best in Show Award at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2021. "This outstanding wine has a bright gold color with faint lime glints," read the tasting notes from the competition website. "Freshness and richness are beautifully paired in the aromas—to an extent which is perhaps only possible south of the equator in New Zealand."
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