Do you drink chardonnay? Sauvignon blanc is our biggest-selling white wine and pinot gris is riding high but neither of these popular grapes produces New Zealand’s greatest dry whites. Chardonnay wears that crown.
There’s an enormous range to choose from. Most wineries – especially in the North Island and upper South Island – make at least one chardonnay; many produce several and the big wineries produce dozens. The hallmark of New Zealand chardonnays is their delicious varietal intensity – the leading labels show notably concentrated aromas and flavours, threaded with fresh, appetising acidity.
Blank Canvas Reed Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
This stylish wine was hand-picked in the Waihopai Valley, fermented and aged in French oak puncheons and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Bright, light yellow/green, it is fragrant and weighty and has concentrated, youthful, peachy, slightly citrusy flavours. Mealy, biscuity notes add complexity. A subtle, savoury, very ageworthy wine, it should be at its best mid-2025+. $55
★★★★★
Brookfields Marshall Bank Chardonnay 2021
Grown in a vineyard adjacent to the winery at Meeanee and fermented and matured in French oak barriques (half new), this is a powerful, classy, concentrated Hawke’s Bay wine. Full-bodied, it is rich and harmonious with deep, ripe stonefruit flavours, slightly buttery notes and a creamy-textured finish. Drink now or cellar. (14% alc/vol) $38
★★★★★
Catalina Sounds Single Vineyard Sound of White Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
Still youthful, this attractive wine was estate-grown in the Waihopai Valley, hand-harvested and fermented and matured in French oak puncheons. Fragrant and vigorous, it has vibrant, peachy, citrusy flavours that show very good complexity, fresh acidity and a savoury, creamy-textured finish. $34-$40
★★★★½
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Tuki Tuki Chardonnay 2022
This is Church Road’s top white from a difficult, rainy season – there is no Tom Chardonnay 2022. Estate-grown in the Tuki Tuki Valley and oak-aged for a year, it has a fragrant, slightly smoky bouquet. Mouthfilling, sweet-fruited and savoury with concentrated, peachy, mealy, gently toasty flavours – youthful and harmonious – it should be at its best from 2025 onwards. $100
★★★★★
Cloudy Bay New Zealand Chardonnay 2022
This powerful Marlborough wine is sourced from company-owned and growers’ vineyards in the Wairau Valley and Southern Valleys and handled in oak cuves and barriques. Bright, light lemon/green, it is a refined, full-bodied wine, with strong, peachy, citrusy flavours, gentle biscuity notes, fresh acidity and excellent delicacy, harmony and length. Best drinking 2026+. $45
★★★★★
Dog Point Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
Certified organic, this classy wine is estate-grown and hand-harvested on the south side of the Wairau Valley and French oak-aged for 18 months. Still unfolding, it is full-bodied, savoury and complex with strong, vibrant, peachy, slightly biscuity flavours, balanced acidity and a dry, lingering finish. A wine with obvious potential, it’s best cellared to 2025+. (14% alc/vol) $45
★★★★★
Domaine Road Vineyard Defiance Bannockburn Central Otago Chardonnay 2021
Already drinking well but still youthful, this estate-grown, barrel-fermented wine is full-bodied and fleshy with strong, ripe stonefruit flavours, a hint of butterscotch and a dry, well-rounded finish. Gently seasoned with oak, its savoury notes add complexity. (14% alc/vol) $35
★★★★½
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
Promoted as “classic, fresh seaside chardonnay”, this vibrant wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks (80%) and seasoned French oak casks. Bright, light lemon/green, it is full-bodied, with concentrated, ripe, peachy flavours to the fore. Savoury notes add complexity, fresh balanced acidity and a dry, lingering finish. $34
★★★★½
Esk Valley Artisanal Collection Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
This regional blend was fermented and aged on its yeast lees in oak barriques. Mouthfilling, it has very good depth of youthful, peachy, citrusy flavours and fresh acidity. Finely integrated toasty oak adds complexity. Best drinking 2025+. $25
★★★★
Greystone Organic Waipara Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay 2022
This organically certified wine ticks all the boxes – estate-grown, hand-picked, fermented and matured in French oak barriques (partly new). Fragrant and fleshy, it has rich, ripe stonefruit flavours, well-integrated oak, lively acidity and excellent depth and harmony. Savoury, vigorous and finely structured, it’s already enjoyable but worth cellaring too. $50
★★★★★
Grove Mill Wairau Valley Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Bargain-priced, this fresh, vigorous wine was grown in the lower Wairau Valley and barrel-aged for nearly a year. Mouthfilling and vibrantly fruity, it has generous, ripe stonefruit flavours to the fore, a gentle seasoning of oak, lively acidity and a dry finish. $23
★★★★
Hopesgrove Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020
This delicious wine was estate-grown and hand-picked at Pakipaki southwest of Hastings. Mouthfilling and vibrant, it has strong stonefruit flavours, gentle biscuity notes, and a rich very harmonious finish. Elegant, complex and finely textured, it’s well worth discovering. (13.7% alc/vol) $37
★★★★★
Hunter’s Offshoot Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
This stylish wine was grown in the Home Block at Rapaura and handled in large French oak casks, on the basis that “big barrels show the fruit”. Fragrant and full-bodied, it has rich peach and grapefruit flavours gently seasoned with biscuity oak, and a savoury, dry, lingering finish. Weighty and youthful, it should be at its best 2025+. $35
★★★★★
Jules Taylor Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Already drinking well, this is an attractive, “fruit-driven” style. Mouthfilling, it has generous, vibrant stonefruit flavours to the fore, hints of biscuity oak and a dry creamy-textured finish. Priced right. $23
★★★★
The Landing Boathouse Bay of Islands Chardonnay 2022
An ideal introduction to Northland whites, this barrel-fermented wine is fragrant, full-bodied and vibrantly fruity with generous ripe stonefruit flavours, showing good complexity, slightly buttery notes, fresh acidity and a dry lingering finish. $30
★★★★½
Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Crafted to showcase its fresh fruit flavours, this wine was made with some use of indigenous (rather than cultured) yeasts and ageing on its yeast lees, but new oak barrels were excluded from the recipe. Mouthfilling, it has very good depth of ripe fruit flavours, gentle mealy biscuity notes adding a distinct touch of complexity, and a smooth, very harmonious finish. $20
★★★★
Maison Noire Chardonnay Puketapu 2022
This refined, single-vineyard wine was grown inland from Napier and fermented and matured for a year in French oak casks. Full-bodied and savoury, it has strong, fresh, citrusy flavours, mealy and biscuity notes adding complexity, balanced acidity and a finely textured, lingering finish. Well worth cellaring. (12.5% alc/vol) $35
★★★★★
Māori Point Single Vineyard Central Otago Chardonnay 2023
Highly enjoyable in its youth, this wine was hand-picked at Bendigo and fermented and aged in French oak barrels. Full-bodied, it has strong, fresh, peachy, gently biscuity flavours, balanced acidity, a slightly creamy texture and excellent balance and depth. $36
★★★★½
Matahiwi Estate Holly South Series Wairarapa Chardonnay 2021
Estate-grown near Masterton, this hand-picked barrel-fermented wine is mouthfilling with good concentration of ripe stonefruit and toasty oak flavours in a slightly “upfront” style. It has considerable complexity, balanced acidity and a smooth dry finish. Drink now onwards. (14% alc/vol) $30
★★★★½
Nanny Goat Vineyard Central Otago Single Vineyard Queensberry Chardonnay 2021
Certified organic, this is a top example of the region’s chardonnays. Fragrant, full-bodied and sweet-fruited, it has concentrated, peachy, slightly citrusy flavours. Lightly seasoned with oak, gentle mealy and buttery notes add complexity. It has lively acidity and excellent vigour and harmony. (14% alc/vol) $57
★★★★★
Palliser Estate Om Santi Vineyard Martinborough Chardonnay 2022
This distinctive, youthful wine is from Palliser’s original vineyard, replanted in 2005. Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling and savoury with deep, ripe stonefruit flavours, mealy and biscuity notes adding complexity, fresh acidity and a very long harmonious finish. Best drinking mid-2025+. $85
★★★★★
Pask Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2021
This Hawke’s Bay chardonnay was made to highlight its vibrant fruit characters, with a subtle wood influence. Already delicious, it is fresh and mouthfilling with peachy, slightly mealy and biscuity flavours. It shows good complexity and has a dry, well-rounded finish. $22
★★★★
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay 2020
This sophisticated wine is one of the country’s best chardonnays from south of Marlborough. Based on vines more than 30 years old, it is vigorous with a fragrant, slightly smoky bouquet. Tightly structured, it has intense, peachy, citrusy, mealy flavours gently seasoned with biscuity oak, vibrant acidity and a sustained finish. Best drinking 2025+. $45
★★★★★
Rock Ferry The Corners Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2020
Certified organic, this is a generous, finely poised wine, full of personality. Hand-harvested from mature vines at Rapaura, it was fermented and lees-aged in a concrete egg and a range of French oak vessels. Mouthfilling, it is rich, savoury and complex with balanced acidity and a slightly creamy texture. Currently delicious. $40
★★★★★
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 10 Twin Hills Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
This very ageworthy wine was grown in the Omaka Valley and fermented and lees-aged in French oak casks. Bright, light lemon/green, it is full-bodied and vibrantly fruity with concentrated peach and grapefruit flavours. Gently seasoned with biscuity oak, it has finely balanced acidity and a long savoury finish. $33
★★★★★
Seresin Marlborough Chardonnay Reserve 2022
Finesse is the keynote quality of this organically certified wine. Estate-grown in the Omaka Valley, hand-picked and barrel-fermented, it is fragrant and mouthfilling with concentrated stonefruit flavours, finely integrated oak, fresh acidity and impressive vigour, intensity and complexity. Best drinking mid-2025+. $55
★★★★★
Smith & Sheth Cru Howell Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
From mature vines in the Bridge Pā Triangle, this powerful, generous wine was handled in French oak barriques (mostly new). Sturdy with deep stonefruit flavours, seasoned with toasty oak, balanced acidity and excellent complexity, it shows obvious potential for cellaring. $60
★★★★★
Starborough Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Grown in the Awatere Valley, this is an invitingly fragrant, full-bodied wine with generous, ripe, peachy flavours. Well-integrated toasty oak adds complexity and finely balanced acidity. Already drinking well, it should be at its best 2025+. $28
★★★★½
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
Hand-picked from mature hillside vineyards above the winery at Havelock North, this classy youthful wine was fermented and matured in French oak barriques. Highly fragrant, mouthfilling and savoury, it is refined and vigorous. It has deep, vibrant stonefruit flavours gently seasoned with toasty oak and a rich finely poised finish. $50
★★★★★
Terra Sancta Riverblock Bannockburn Central Otago Chardonnay 2022
This finely crafted wine was fermented and matured in French oak puncheons and barriques. Full-bodied and sweet-fruited, it has generous, ripe, peachy flavours, fresh acidity and a long finish. Concentrated, savoury and finely textured, it’s delicious now but worth cellaring. $40
★★★★½
Thornbury Gisborne Chardonnay 2022
Offering great value, this is a full-bodied lively wine. Made in a “fruit-driven” style with plenty of fresh, peachy, slightly toasty flavour, it’s drinking well. (From Villa Maria.) $15
★★★½
Priced right, this wine was tank-fermented, with some oak handling. Skilfully balanced, it is full-bodied, with very good depth of fresh, ripe, peachy flavour, hints of butterscotch and toast, and lively acidity. $19
★★★★
Tony Bish Heartwood Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
This delicious hand-picked wine was fermented and matured in French oak barriques (partly new). Fleshy and savoury, it has concentrated, ripe stonefruit flavours, well-integrated oak adding complexity and a finely textured, lingering finish. Refined and strongly varietal, it should be at its best 2025+. $40
★★★★★
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
This youthful regional blend was fermented in tanks and barrels. Mouthfilling and vibrantly fruity, it has strong, citrusy, peachy flavours, fresh acidity and a finely poised dry finish. Savoury notes add considerable complexity. $25
★★★★
Two Rivers Clos Des Pierres Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
This elegant, youthful wine was harvested from mature vines, handled in barriques and large oak cuves and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Bright, light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling with vibrant, ripe grapefruit and peach flavours, gently seasoned with biscuity oak, good complexity, finely balanced acidity and a lingering finish. Very ageworthy. $30
★★★★½
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Taylors Pass Chardonnay 2022
Estate-grown in the Awatere Valley, this elegant hand-picked wine was fermented and aged in French oak barriques and puncheons. Fresh and weighty, it has strong, vibrant citrus and stonefruit flavours and a long savoury, rounded finish. Gentle mealy, biscuity notes add complexity. Already delicious, it’s well worth cellaring. (14% alc/vol) $50
★★★★★
Ward Valley Estate Coastal Block Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Grown in the Ward district and barrel-aged, this full-bodied wine has strong, vibrant peachy fruit flavours to the fore and a good acid spine. A light seasoning of toasty oak adds complexity. A vigorous youthful wine, it’s still unfolding. $30
★★★★½
Whitehaven Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
Full of potential, this wine was grown almost entirely in the Wairau Valley and fermented and aged in French oak puncheons. Mouthfilling, it has strong, vibrant, peachy, citrusy flavours, finely integrated toasty oak and excellent freshness, complexity and vigour. Best drinking mid-2025+. $28 l
★★★★½
Note: all wines are 13-13.5%
alc/vol unless stated otherwise.
