It’s been quite some time since I held a Spotlight tasting, nearly two and a half years in fact! However, with the emergence of an ever-growing number of quality English still wines, last month I turned my attention to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Surprisingly, I’ve not given this much focus to England’s two most planted grape varieties since the early days of Great British Wine in 2017. First up, it’s Chardonnay, my personal favourite grape thanks to its versatility and prevalence in some of my favourite wines both inside and outside of the UK. The tasting was conducted on a single night, comprising just over a dozen of the country’s most promising Chardonnay wines.
Naturally, many of the wines originated from Essex’s Crouch Valley. On arrival to the English Wine scene a few years back, Danbury Ridge established itself as the benchmark for complex, world-class Chardonnay, and their wines remain the ones to beat, with the Octagon Block 2023 representing the very pinnacle of the style. However, emerging brands, such as recently established One Degree East, the premium label of recently established RAD Winery, are very much up there too. And both Pencroft Winery and Trevibban Mill, also sourcing Chardonnay fruit from Essex, were amongst the top scoring wines of the tasting. Meanwhile, Balfour’s Signature Chardonnay from Kent was the only wine in our top picks that originated outside of Essex; it impressed with its balance of complexity and fruit purity.
What captivated us the most in this category was the consistency and quality of the wines we tasted. Outside of the top six picks, there are many superb examples of Chardonnay, including strong efforts from 1276 in Wiltshire and emerging producer Abingworth in Sussex.
Our Six Highest Rated Wines
Danbury Ridge Chardonnay Octagon Block 2023
Crouch Valley, Essex – Fermented in 228L Burgundian oak barrels, left on gross lees for 18 months with Malolactic Fermentation. Aged in tank on lees for a further 12 months.
Octagon Block is the varietal poster boy wine for Essex, and with this 2023 vintage it’s clear that Danbury Ridge is still at the very top of the game.
This exudes richness and complexity, combining poached pear, ripe peach and nectarine with layers of intriguing spice and smokiness.
It’s got an opulent palate, and what elevates this wine is how full and rounded it is compared to the Estate Chardonnay. There are flavours of ripe apple, poached pear, peach and nectarine, with the zestiness a touch more subdued than that wine, allowing subtleties of orange oil, tangerine and toasted coconut to linger on the finish.
One Degree East Chardonnay 2024
Crouch Valley, Essex – Made from INRA clones 95 and 548, fermented in Tonnellerie oak with full Malo, then aged for 16 months in a mix of new (35%), 1st & 2nd fill (30%) and neutral (35%) oak.
A brand new producer on the English Wine scene, One Degree East is the premium label of RAD Custom Winery from winemaker Sam Kemp and Commercial Director Gary Trott.
The One Degree East Chardonnay is slightly more golden in colour than most of the Chardonnays tasted. It commands attention straight out of the bottle, with aromas of peach, apricot and ripe pear, luscious vanilla and a hint of smoky flint.
The palate is rounded and powerful, up there with the very best English Chardonnays that I’ve ever tasted – a truly world-class offering. The fruit speaks for itself, opulent and rounded with peach and apricot, but still with the zing of lemon and crisp green apple to cut through the richness. There’s a lingering complexity, intertwining layers of vanilla and spice, as well as a light minerality. This wine is quite a calling card for RAD and One Degree East.
Danbury Ridge Chardonnay 2023
Crouch Valley, Essex – Fermented in 228L Burgundian oak barrels, left on gross lees for 12 months with Malolactic Fermentation. Aged in tank on lees for a further 6 months.
This is such a vivid and intense expression of Chardonnay, with intense freshness in the form of lemon zest and green apple, but also a whole sea of stone fruit and almost tropical fruit notes.
The palate also delivers immense energy, with tingling acidity, crunchy orchard fruit and citrus up front, then layers of peach and apricot, as well as tangy pineapple and spiced oak.
This is a bit more ‘shouty’ than the Octagon Block, and it certainly still stands comparison with the best we tasted.
Penncroft Chardonnay Reserve 2023
Fruit sourced from Crouch Valley, barrel-fermented and aged for a further year in bottle.
The nose is a little bit quiet on this one, with light aromas of poached pear, toasted spice and nectarine. However, the palate was another story and somewhat more extravagant.
This was incredibly ripe and ready, demonstrating that classic Essex fruit ripeness, with its layers of exuberant peach and apricot. The oak is a little more pronounced than some of the wines featured, but it has the fruit ripeness and bottle age to support it. This was the strongest of the wines made by Itasca that we tasted.
Trevibban Mill Constantine Chardonnay 2025
Fruit sourced from Crouch Valley – Late Harvest Chardonnay, fermented in old French oak with Burgundy yeast, Sauvignon Blanc yeast, and wild yeast with full Malo. Aged on lees for 7 months.
This was one of the most talked about wines of the tasting; its unassuming, minimalist label contrasts with quite a bold and delicious Chardonnay.
The nose is potent with layers of red apple, nectarine and peach, and then a really complex mix of roasted hazelnut, toasted spices and toasted bread.
There’s a complex melding of lush, ripe fruit with vibrant citrus acidity. The palate has a lovely balance, with well-integrated oak that adds a lovely spicy seasoning to the gorgeous ripe stone fruit body.
Balfour Chardonnay Reserve 2023
Home-grown Kentish Chardonnay from Balfour’s Middle Strackley Wood vineyard, fermented in stainless steel and aged in French oak for 6 months.
This was the most impressive of the three Balfour Chardonnay wines we tasted, with a slightly more intense, oak-seasoned profile, while still maintaining winemaker Fergus Elias’s preference to let the fruit be the star.
The nose feels like a nod to Burgundy, offering almost perfumed ripe orchard fruit aromas, with hints of orange blossom, nectarine and vanilla.
The palate has a lovely richness, with a rounded mouth-coating depth, whilst still maintaining a wonderful purity of fruit that manifests in a fusion of peach, nectarine and pear. The Balfour Chardonnay Reserve leaves an impression with its developing leesy, almond complexity on the finish.
The Best of the Rest
Abingworth Four Fables Chardonnay 2024
This was one of the Chardonnays that we tasted that felt like it could actually be from Burgundy. There are lovely aromas of ripe orchard and stone fruits, with hints of roasted hazelnut and gun flint.
The palate has a beautiful balance of ripe green apple, pear and peach, with hints of tropical fruit and honeyed fruit, before a burst of acidity and lemon freshness balances the richness.
1276 Chardonnay 2024
This wine has an exuberant nose – peachy, nectarine, ripe peach, and tinned pears, with a clear hit of vanilla-spiced oak.
The palate is generous and rounded, exuding a fusion of peach, baked apple and honeyed pear. It also has smooth almond-cream complexity, with light butteriness and just enough acidity to keep the richness in check. This is impressive for a wine from a region that not many are talking about (Herefordshire).
Balfour Chardonnay 76 2022
This wine benefits from not being too cold. Given time, delicate aromas of honeysuckle, green apple, and lemon, with hints of roasted cashew emerge.
This is really unique, with a subtle palate that needs time to realise its layers and complexity. The 76 evolves with layers of ripe apple, white peach and lightly floral notes. It ends on a lovely lengthy finish that has hints of salinity and nutty flavours. As it warms, I even get a surprising note of white chocolate.
Marbury Chardonnay 2023
On the subtle, lighter side of Crouch Valley Chardonnay, the oak is present in this wine more in texture than in flavour and aroma. The nose is clean with ripe green apple, pear, lemon and a distinct chalkiness.
This is a really smooth Chardonnay, with ripe apple, peach, a hint of creaminess and subtle oak textures. It’s slightly Chablis-like, but with a lovely tension and crispness that brings you back to England – an impressive first release.
Sugrue Bonkers V2
Sugrue’s Bonkers is really quite an apt name for this wine: it’s really quite unlike any of the other Chardonnays featured in the line-up. The nose is complex, nutty, yeasty and nuanced, with apple, peach and hints of sourdough toast.
The palate continues this wine’s textural journey, with vibrant lemon and green orchard fruit, then that classic Dermot Sugrue acidity, which evolves to light peach, and a deep earthy, savoury, nutty complexity.
House on the Hill Chardonnay 2024
Made by Great Wheatley, this Chardonnay has an immediately appealing nose, packed full of ripe orchard fruit and peach, with a tropical twist of pineapple and lemon.
The palate is vibrant and flavoursome – zesty lemon freshness up front, with riper stone fruit and tropical fruit hints. There’s a prominent oak spice on the finish that will continue to integrate with more time in the bottle.
Leornian Chardonnay 2024
Another really distinctive expression, the Leornian Chardonnay has a slightly wild character of roasted nuts, green apple and lemon zest, with hints of struck match and toasted oak.
The palate continues to be intriguing, with a slightly bruised apple and nutty vibe. But there’s striking acidity and an overall deep textural nuttiness that makes this memorable.
Balfour Skye’s Chardonnay 2023
As one of the few unoaked Chardonnays in the line-up, this is probably the closest to a Chablis style. The nose is classic English orchard fruit – green apple and pear, with peaches and a touch of cream.
The palate follows in this clean but ripe vein. There’s crisp green apple and white peach, with a touch of honeyed pear, and then a crisp lemon and chalky backbone. Rather straightforward, but nonetheless well made.
