The fourth release of this awesome Chardonnay, only released in the best vintages.
The fruit was whole-bunch pressed into barrel. After 18 months, a selection was made of the finest lots which were then aged for an additional six months. The lees were stirred once prior to assemblage, and the wine was left to clarify naturally before being bottled unfined an unfiltered.
The wine shocked many at an incredibly prestigious blind tasting event in May 2026.
Drinks Business reported the following.
"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.
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
"Fruit was hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed. With full solids and minimal settling, the juice was transferred to 228-litre burgundian oak barrels for fermentation. The wine was then left on gross lees for 19 months, where malolactic fermentation took place without bâtonnage. The wine received another 12 months’ élevage before release without any fining or filtration. TA 7.4 g/l, pH 3.03.
Gold-green colour. Lime-cordial note on the nose, plus tropical fruit, coffee, cinnamon and coconut. Peach and pineapple on the palate plus bitter-orange peel. Creamy, almost buttery with coconut on the finish. Blimey, this could be California. Impressive. Henry Jeffreys 17.5 jancisrobinson.com
