Chardonnay

When Andrea Franchetti arrived on the northern slope of Mount Etna in 2000, he found an abandoned volcanic landscape – dilapidated vineyards, overgrown terraces, the gloom of a forgotten wine region. But he recognised the potential of these extreme altitudes. Passobianco, first vinified in 2007, is his white answer to the volcanic terroir: pure Chardonnay from the Contrada Guardiola, planted between 850 and 1,000 metres on steep terraces, where the powdery lava soil glistens black like the night. Fermented in steel tanks at cool temperatures, matured partly in concrete and partly in large wooden barrels – a vinification that preserves purity and creates complexity.

Limited anniversary edition with a special label to celebrate the birthday of the icon of modern Sicilian viticulture: 30 years of Planeta Chardonnay – and the label is on fire to mark the anniversary. Not really, but almost: "On Fire" is the name of Claire Fontaine's work, which adorns the 2024 vintage in a limited edition. Founded in Paris in 2004 and based in Palermo since 2017, the artist collective – whose work "Foreigners Everywhere" gave the Venice Biennale 2024 its title – has turned the flame emoji into a light sculpture: detached from the digital, it has become physical and irritatingly beautiful. The original hangs in Ulmo's Studiolo, just a few steps away from the Chardonnay vines. The special edition appears on 300 Jeroboams – and only one of six 0.75 litre bottles per 6-bottle carton bears the art label. The proceeds will go towards "A Long and Magnificent Walk", a greening project in the archaeological park of Selinunte: a symbolic act against the fires that threaten Sicily every summer. In this way, an anniversary becomes a statement – and a Chardonnay becomes a manifesto.

Chiarandà is Donnafugata's great white solitaire, a Sicilian Chardonnay with an unmistakable format and clear terroir profile. The grapes come from selected plots around Contessa Entellina, at an altitude of around 350 to 400 metres. The Mediterranean climate is characterised by hot days and cool nights, while the clay and limestone soils offer the best conditions for ripeness with structure. The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand, selectively and early in the morning. One part of the wine is matured in stainless steel tanks, the other in French oak, where malolactic fermentation also takes place. The assemblage is followed by extended bottle ageing of at least two years – careful ageing with a view to longevity.

Chardonnay is considered a chameleon among grape varieties – adaptable, malleable, ready for any interpretation. But what happens if it is denied precisely this transformation? When the pomace is processed fresh and soft, fermentation takes place anaerobically in stainless steel, distillation is slow in Benito Nonino's copper steam stills – and then: no wood, no colouring, just rest in neutral steel? The result is crystalline clarity. Bright fruits unfold on the nose – apple, pear, a hint of freshly baked bread. The palate reveals the harmonious softness that characterises Chardonnay when it is given space rather than direction. The finish is gentle and lingering. Served at 12°C in a tulip glass, this grappa reveals the essence of the grape variety – unadulterated and self-confident. SUPERIORE.DE

Chardonnay Al Poggio benefits from high altitude vineyards (from around 500 metres above sea level) and the cool limestone soils of the Chianti Classico region to produce this fresh, crisp and delightfully approachable white wine. The unmistakable regional elements are reminiscent of apricot and peach, with light sprinklings of Italian herbs such as fresh oregano and sprigs of rosemary. Fine mineral notes and fresh hints of citrus fruit make this incredibly flavoursome and thoroughly complex Chardonnay an ideal accompaniment to Mediterranean summer dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Bright yellow-green in colour. Intense nose of orchard fruits, ripe peach, roasted nuts and some lemon mousse, rounded off with creamy vanilla. Very juicy on the palate, not too heavy, with salty elements and warm yellow fruit flavours. Chardonnay made by Lis Neris is always a complete pleasure and a lasting memory. Very elegant and with good ageing and maturation potential thanks to 11 months of ageing on the fine lees. SUPERIORE.DE

It is the original wine from Ca' del Bosco: first vinified in 1972 as Pinot di Franciacorta Bianco, long before the Spumanti made the winery world-famous. Over the years, it has changed its name several times – from Franciacorta Bianco to Terre di Franciacorta to Curtefranca Bianco. Since the 2017 vintage, it has been called Corte del Lupo: the farmyard and the wolf, faithful guardians of the estate, adorn the new label as the essence of the terroir. The cuvée of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Bianco comes from thirteen certified organic vineyards in Erbusco, Cazzago San Martino and Passirano – vines from 25 to 30 years old. Every single grape undergoes the legendary "spa for grapes": washing, hydromassage and gentle drying before being pressed. A quarter ferments in small oak barrels, the rest in stainless steel, followed by six months on the lees.

The Chardonnay grapes for Lis Neris' Metodo Classico come from the historic Jurosa vineyard. After the first fermentation in 500-litre barrels, it matures for at least three years in the bottle on the fine lees and develops the nobility and elegance that immediately excited us. On the nose, notes of yeast, light stone fruit, limestone and minerals. In the mouth it is creamy and elegant, blessed with depth and at the same time great freshness, which one would wish for from many a French counterpart. Dom Jurosa is precise, cool and pleasantly dry in its overall appearance, which also makes it an excellent food companion. SUPERIORE.DE

Chardonnay is one of the few white wine varieties that benefit from ageing in barriques – both in the wine and in the distillate. Nonino utilises this knowledge to create a grappa that perfectly balances the character of the grape variety with the maturity of the wood. Fresh Chardonnay pomace from Friuli is fermented anaerobically and slowly distilled in Benito's copper steam stills. Then the transformation begins: the distillate rests in small barriques for eight to twelve months until crystalline clarity turns to warm amber.

A Satèn with supple fullness and fine elegance: the 2021 Millesimato edition shows how velvety Chardonnay can be. The grapes come from Chardonnay parcels on moraine hills that harmoniously reflect the cooler climate of Franciacorta. Maturation in the bottle on the lees lasted around 36 months, giving the wine its silky texture and fine complexity. A light golden yellow colour in the glass with only a fine effervescence – typical of Satèn. Ripe yellow fruit, white flowers, a hint of brioche and almond notes on the nose. Clear and soft at the same time on the palate: creamy structure, minerality, elegant acidity and a restrained perlage. The finish is dry, harmonious and lingers for a long time. A wine that perfectly combines fullness and finesse – charming, impressive and without any heaviness. Ideal as a festive aperitif or with Mediterranean fish dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Just like the famous I Sistri, the "Collezione Privata" is a single-varietal Chardonnay. Since the early 1980s, the former LitersGiovanni Mazzocolin had sourced some of his Chardonnay vines from Burgundy and so a micro-location was cultivated here until the 2000s, from whose grapes the carefully vinified "I Sistri Collezione Privata" originates. Bright, intense straw yellow colour with golden reflections. Delicately reductive nose of spices, peach and exotic fruits with restrained hints of vanilla. Creamy and full-bodied on the palate, the ideally balanced acidity gives it structure and the fresh juice combined with a mineral-salty note carries this complex white wine into an exciting and spicy finish of quince and orange. The clearly recognisable Burgundian style of this great Chardonnay will continue to develop as it matures in the bottle, not least due to the subtle barrique ageing. Very attractive at an even more attractive price! SUPERIORE.DE

The Chardonnay glass leaves enough room for any white wine with medium to full body. Even big, full-bodied white wines will show off their primary aromas superbly in this precision glass. The Superleggero series combines the tailor-made characteristics of the mouth-blown wine-specific glasses of the legendary Sommelier line with the consistent precision of machine production. Perfectly adapted to the individual types of wine, the high-quality glasses enhance every moment, no matter how enjoyable.

The grapes for the excellent Chardonnay Bastia come from high-altitude, south-west-facing plots in Monforte d'Alba, whose calcareous marl soils with veins of clay and sand provide tension and fine minerality. Pale straw yellow in colour with golden reflections. Yellow apple, pear and ripe lemon on the nose, accompanied by hints of white flowers, fresh almonds and subtle vanilla notes. Fresh and harmonious on the palate, with clear fruit, fine acidity and a creamy texture that comes from ageing partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in used barriques. An elegant, terroir-influenced Chardonnay from high-altitude Barolo vineyards with the very best Burgundy charm and great development potential. SUPERIORE.DE

A Chardonnay with a clear expression of origin and subtle noblesse: Paolo Meroi ferments and ages his white wine from high-altitude vineyards around Buttrio partly in used wood - enough to give it depth and structure, but without any intrusive woody flavours. The result is a wine of great balance. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with golden reflections. On the nose, yellow apple, ripe lemon, some quince, white flowers and a fine hint of vanilla and roasted hazelnut. Dense yet precise on the palate, with a smooth, salty flavour and cool minerality. The acidity is present but well integrated, the finish is elegant and accompanied by a slight spiciness. A Friuli Chardonnay with a Burgundian soul - focussed, multi-layered and far from arbitrary. SUPERIORE.DE

Vigna Crivelli is one of the most renowned white wine vineyards in the South Tyrolean lowlands. Named after Count Crivelli, a leading member of an old noble family from Margreid, the Chardonnay thrives here on alluvial soils of fine sand with silt and clay deposits under ideal conditions. The special microclimate of this single vineyard is characterised by strong downslope winds from the Fennberg and the daily south wind "Ora", which ensures perfect aeration of the grapes. The marked day-night temperature fluctuations allow for a long ripening period with optimal flavour development. The vines are grown on low-growing rootstock and are trained using the Guyot system.

Countess Sophie Goëss-Enzenberg, who runs the estate together with her husband Michael, gave her name to this Chardonnay. A wine that combines elegance with determination, finesse with power. Half of the grapes come from two contrasting worlds: Terlan Lieben Aich at 300 metres, exposed to the west, where loamy sandy soil on volcanic porphyry nourishes Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. And Kaltern Mazzon – the steepest vineyard in Manincor, the "Leiten" with a gradient of up to 100 per cent. Here, Chardonnay and Viognier are rooted between 350 and 400 metres in calcareous loess loam, facing south-west towards the light. Two soils, two microclimates, one vision. The destemmed berries macerate in the press for four hours – longer than the Eichhorn, shorter than the Sauvignons. Finesse is the top priority, the pressing process is slow and careful. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in wooden barrels of various sizes, followed by nine months of ageing on the fine lees. Here, the aroma and structure are refined into the density that characterises Sophie.

The vines from which the Chardonnay grapes for the Rio delle Rose come are over 80 years old. Fine, exotic and noticeably mineral bouquet of pome fruit, apple, citrus peel, white flowers, some flint and a hint of banana and pineapple. On the palate, it is driven forward, with beautiful pressure and juicy tension, then again this fine minerality in the further course and a very delicate, never-ending melt in the long, complex finish. Very balanced and big - with its subtle restraint and great personality, Rio delle Rose is for us one of the best Chardonnays from Friuli! SUPERIORE.DE

Doran is no coincidence. It shows what happens when French Chardonnay clones meet South Tyrolean limestone soils. The Andrian winery takes exactly the time it needs for this Riserva: twelve months in tonneaux, 30% of which in new French barrels. This is the Burgundy school in its purest form. The grapes come from the highest vineyards around Andrian, between 350 and 450 metres above sea level. This is where the calcareous clay soil is interspersed with white dolomite rock. The microclimate makes all the difference: cooler temperatures than elsewhere, longer ripening time, more acidity. Perfect for a Chardonnay with high standards. Cellar master Rudi Kofler favours full fermentation in wood. Regular batonnage ensures that the wood is elegantly integrated and never becomes dominant. After malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for a further three months in stainless steel – for a final balance between opulence and freshness.

Doran is no coincidence. It shows what happens when French Chardonnay clones meet South Tyrolean limestone soils. The Andrian winery takes exactly the time it needs for this Riserva: twelve months in tonneaux, 30% of which in new French barrels. This is the Burgundy school in its purest form. The grapes come from the highest vineyards around Andrian, between 350 and 450 metres above sea level. This is where the calcareous clay soil is interspersed with white dolomite rock. The microclimate makes all the difference: cooler temperatures than elsewhere, longer ripening time, more acidity. Perfect for a Chardonnay with high standards. Cellar master Rudi Kofler favours full fermentation in wood. Regular batonnage ensures that the wood is elegantly integrated and never becomes dominant. After malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for a further three months in stainless steel – for a final balance between opulence and freshness.

A Chardonnay of great typicity and fidelity to its origins, grown in the cooler Colline Teatine. The 2022 vintage was characterised by balanced ripeness and pleasant acidity - ideal conditions for balanced white wines with structure. The wine was matured partly in large oak barrels and partly in stainless steel on the fine lees. Medium golden yellow in colour with a delicate straw hue. The aroma presents ripe yellow fruit such as apple and pear, citrus notes, some pineapple and light-coloured flowers. A subtle buttery note and fine spice in the background. On the palate, it is creamy yet clear: a structured texture with integrated acidity, a fine melt and light spice. The minerality of the soil is evident in the finish with salty tension and an elegant finish. Marina Cvetic Chardonnay 2022 is not an opulent wine, but a Chardonnay with expression and plenty of character. It combines freshness and substance, origin and oenological precision. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1985, Lucio Tasca d'Almerita embarked on an experiment that was to become legendary. After an initial trial with cuttings from Burgundy, he planted five hectares of Chardonnay in the lower part of the San Francesco hill – at an altitude of 530 metres, facing south-east, where the Sicilian sun meets clayey-sandy soils. It was a time when international grape varieties were not yet officially recognised in Sicily, but Lucio followed his vision. This Burgundian journey to Regaleali resulted in a Chardonnay of impressive complexity. It matures for eight months in Liters French oak barrels from Allier and Tronçais, seventy percent in new barriques. The chalky sediments of the old river deposits lend it a mineral depth, while the altitude and Sicilian temperature fluctuations create the tension that characterises great Chardonnays.