Description
Chardonnay is probably our favourite white grape. Here are six of our favourite anytime, anywhere Chardonnays that we have highly recommend to anyone looking for a great value Chardy fix.
- 2023 Gentle Folk Chardonnay
- 2024 Patrick Sullivan Chardonnay
- 2023 Two Tonne Tasmania TMV Chardonnay
- 2024 Garagiste Le Stagiaire Chardonnay
- 2023 Usher Tinkler Paperwasp Vineyard Chardonnay
- 2023 Domaine Naturaliste Discovery Chardonnay
2023 Gentle Folk Chardonnay
Increasingly, Chardonnay is becoming the star variety in the Gentle Folk range, with Gareth Belton producing some of the most thrilling examples of the variety in the Adelaide Hills.
The Gentle Folk Chardonnay (formerly known as Village) is a composite blend of all the Chardonnay sites farmed by Gareth and Rainbo. It's a representation of the region and the season and beautifully balanced on release.
It sees exceptional flavour development in the fruit across the sites, with sufficient tannin to lend structure and pure, racy acidity as the backbone.
It's not a flashy Chardonnay but it is inherently complex and stunning to drink.
"Its beautifully refined and complex Adelaide Hills Chardonnay that balances acidity and ripe fruit from a very cool and long growing season."
- Gareth Belton (Winemaker)
2024 Patrick Sullivan Chardonnay
Patrick Sullivan is a name synonymous with exceptional Australian Chardonnay.
Here's a top-value way to sample his sensational stylings with this variety, with this very reasonably-priced entry-level Pat Sullivan wine!
This, only the third-ever release, continues to honour the volcanic soils of Southern Australia with a wine that strikes a lovely balance between richness, well-defined fruit, and distinctive soil-derived minerality.
The vineyards are nestled along Australia's unique limestone coast. This region is the world's third-largest volcanic plain, harbouring approximately 400 dormant volcanoes. Who knew?!
Pat's deep-rooted connection to this area, where he spent much of his childhood, fills him with tremendous enthusiasm as he offers this great modern representation of Australian Chardonnay.
92 points
"It feels familiar, a wine from the past, the affordable cellar dweller for the flavourtown chardonnay drinkers, and it’s great for that."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
2023 Two Tonne Tasmania TMV Chardonnay
The TMV Chardonnay from young Ricky Evans is a wine designed to tell the story of the vintage through the lens of the Tamar Valley
This wine is made from two different parcels of fruit from Ricky's fledgeling vineyard. It's a classic, generous expression of Chardonnay from the region.
Ricky has made quite a lot of Chardonnay during his previous life at a bigger Tasmanian-based wine company, here is his chance to make the style of Chardonnay that he wants to drink.
It's excellent value - you'll need to look long and hard for a better priced Chardonnay of this quality from the Apple Isle.
2024 Garagiste Le Stagiaire Chardonnay
Another fantastic release here of one of Victoria's best-value Chardonnays.
This year’s blend brings together fruit from some of Garagiste’s top vineyards—65% from Balnarring, with smaller portions from Merricks North and Tuerong—where vines averaging 25 years old bring depth and concentration to the fruit.
Pressed as whole bunches and wild fermented in 500-litre puncheons, this Chardonnay is all about texture and finesse. It spent seven months on lees, building a round, supple mouthfeel balanced by a bracing saline streak that keeps everything lifted and refreshing. You’ll find layers of citrus, white flowers, and stone fruits, with just a hint of oak adding subtle structure.
There is never a lot of this wine around and given the value on offer, it's no wonder. Great buying.
2023 Usher Tinkler Paperwasp Vineyard Chardonnay
This new release from Usher Tinkler came about over a shared bottle of wine, as so often great ideas do with the desire to offer a barrel fermented Hunter Chardonnay immediately accessible both in style and price point. Usher Tinker own over 60 hectares of established vineyard in Pokolbin including some superb older Chardonnay vines. This wine comes from a 1.6 hectare vineyard planted in 1985, vines now over 35 years old, sandy loam composition.
Handpicked, 100% barrel fermented in a mix of 1 to 3 year old French oak with a small portion going through malolactic fermentation. The 2022 has been aged for 18 months on fine lees with battonage during the elevage.
This wine takes it’s name from the vineyard “Paperwasp Vineyard” due to the high number of Paperwasps that nest in the vines around harvest time.
2023 Domaine Naturaliste Discovery Chardonnay
After 20 years observing the area, Bruce Dukes decided all the Chardonnays from Domaine Naturaliste would be crafted entirely from the Gin Gin clone.
This is his best value, early drinking Chardonnay. A wine that seriously over-delivers in the bang-for-your-buck stakes, it's built in a more fruit-forward style - ripe, but not too ripe, and balanced perfectly with a subtle hint of oak.
This is one of the best buys in all of Australian Chardonnay at the moment. You'd be mad not to.
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Shipping
Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more!
For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.
We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.
Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.
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Ordering
We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. If you see a lower price elsewhere, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you. We handle all our price-matching on a case by case basis.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Retrospective price-matching is available for 30 days after you have purchased from us.
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We'll treat each price match request on its merit and reserve the right to refuse where we deem fit. For example, particularly rare wines, from non-trust-worthy vendors, in circumstances we deem illegitimate or if we feel our policy is being unfairly taken advantage of.
At the end of the day, we'll look after you and use common sense to ensure you're getting the best price, please just don't take the p%$$!
No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.
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