Joelle Thomson's Amazing Value Picks: The Chardonnay lovers mix

This pack is for lovers of big, voluptuous, dry whites made from the world’s most popular white grape, Chardonnay. It’s best known for its creamy, buttery, oak influenced flavours but there’s more to Chardonnay than these famous styles. It can also be a crisp, citrusy, refreshing dry white when made in a more restrained style. Whichever way you prefer your Chardonnay, we have a bunch of beauties here that cover all bases and highlight the versatility of this great French white. Star wine of the week: 2017 Philippe Bouchard White Burgundy Chardonnay 17/20, 4 stars Burgundy is the traditional home of Chardonnay in north east France and home to the grapes that made this full bodied, dry, crisp white wine. It’s super fresh in style with flavours of citrus, white peach and a light creamy finish. This is a modern French dry white made to drink now or soon. It’s refreshing to taste such a bright, clean style at this price from such a traditional wine region. It is sealed with a screwcap. View here. 2017 Folk Tree Village Series California Chardonnay 17/20, 4 Stars Here’s a wine that will appeal to lovers of big buttery Chardonnays. It’s made by the Norton Ridge Wine Company in California and has incredibly ripe stone fruit flavours, a full body and lingering, dry, nutty flavours on the finish. Very appealing as a wine to drink now or soon. View here. 2016 Bodan Roan Chardonnay California 17/20, 4 stars Another goodie from the Norton Ridge Wine Company with big, soft, creamy flavours and a full body. It’s three years old and is beginning to develop complex flavours of spice, which come from the oak aging process that is typically used to add body and complexity to Chardonnays. A good drink now or soon. View here. 2018 Philippe Bouchard Macon Villages AOP 16.5/20, 3.5 stars Vin de Bourgogne from Macon is one of the best value Chardonnays on the planet. Dry, nutty and full bodied with notes of spice and layers of ripe stonefruit flavours. It’s fresh and crisp on the finish and sealed, refreshingly (for a French wine from a classic region), with a screwcap. View here. 2018 Cape Spring Western Cape Chenin Blanc 16.5/20, 3.5 stars Here’s a cheeky little Chenin Blanc to add diversity to Chardonnay lovers’ lives. This is a light bodied, dry and incredibly refreshing white wine made from the world HQ of the Chenin Blanc grape, namely, South Africa. It’s fruity and full of flavour, finishing with the crisp fresh acidity of Chenin Blanc making this wine a fantastically refreshing drink. It’s made with grapes grown in the Western Cape. Sealed with a screwcap. View here. 2014 Hinemoa Estate Wiremu Syrah Omaha Beach 16.5/20, 3.5 stars Every white wine lover needs a great red in their drinking repertoire and here’s one that will appeal to Chardonnay lovers. A tasty Syrah from a vineyard just north of Auckland. It’s no mean feat making a Syrah that tastes this good and costs this little. It’s deep ruby in colour with youthful appearance, aromas and flavours and a full body. Fresh acidity adds great to the firm smooth tannins. View here. Joelle Thomson is a wine writer, journalist and author. She’s an avid lover of wine and currently writes for Capital magazine, Good magazine, NZ Winegrower, Drinksbiz, and her own site, www.joellethomson.com. She also teaches, works in radio, and more, so we've enlisted her help to sniff out our amazing value wines!