Five summer chardys at $15/btl (or less)

Here’s five chardys perfect for summer, at a value that’ll bring sunshine to your bank balance too.

Sorby Adams Handcrafted Chardonnay 2022

Lush, round, shapely chardonnay from Sorby Adams - an undisputed icon of the Australian wine landscape. Brimming with fresh citrus and tropical fruits and underscored by classic varietal richness. Sorby Adams is one whose reds we have adored, and as we dabble into some whites we're continually astounded by how good these wines are. Having been head winemaker at Yalumba for 20 years, he certainly knows how to make top quality vino. This chardy is genuinely unbelievable value for money: texturally it flows on the palate like a plush peach. Time on lees has meant that it has a yoghurty, creamy consistency and the finish is ever so delightful. I'm really damn excited about this wine, and I reckon you will be too mofo. Round, ripe, and so delicious.

Chardonnay 2023 – Black Market Deal #44070

Chardonnay at this price point rarely, if ever, hits this level of palate weight and fruit richness. This is a mid-week wine that doesn't muck about. Delightful and approachable. Green apple, citrus, pear, a touch of soft vanilla. On the palate, it's crisp and clean but ripe and weighty, papaya and grapefruit offer ripe tropical flavours and aromatics. The acid is lively and vibrant through the finish. This is a perfect wine to have on hand all summer long, fresh, exciting, energetic, and fruit driven - it'll go with anything and it'll please anyone.

Te Pa Single Site Chardonnay 2022

Marlborough chardy? Make it your new obsession - this mighty region has more than a few tricks up its sleeve. Bright aromatics of stone fruit, florals, and toasted nuts, generous on the palate with mealy complexity and textured character. Notes of nectarine and almonds are met with gentle oak spice. Balanced acidity and a fine phenolic profile offer freshness and complexity. A very tidy little wine that offers over-and-above for its modest mid-week price tag.

Chardonnay 2022 – Black Market Deal #47836

Welcome to one of our all-time favourite chardies. Creamy small-batch Adelaide Hills chardonnay, crafted in small batches as they use only the most premium quality grapes, fruit for this particular Chardonnay is sourced from the fantastic Woodside vineyard in Adelaide Hills. Balanced, bright and creamy, this lovely drop is a tropical bowl packed to the rim with melon, mango, peach and grapefruit. There’s a pillowy softness to the palate and a lively acid line that drives its long finish. $35 at the cellar door, it’s no-brainer at $15.

Chardonnay 2023 – Black Market Deal #48065

The Hunter Valley can get pigeon holed as a semillon-only region, but that's simply not the case. The chardonnays out of this famed region are world class, too - and this one is having its moment. Palate weight reigns supreme - Australian palates demand it, Australian producers deliver it. The creamy, nutty mid-palate of this wine is to die for. Vanilla, cashew butter, roasted marshmallow - the whole shebang. The fruit is pulpy and ripe and brilliantly balanced with the brightness of the acid. A well crafted wine from a Hunter icon; textured, full, complex, complete.

Pssst. keen for even more epic chardy? Our Chardonnay Selection 11 is now on sale too - six bottles for less than $20 each.