South African Chardonnay: how does it stack up internationally? A tasting with the South African Chardonnay Association in London
Website: https://chardonnayassociationsouthafrica.com/
The Chardonnay Association of South Africa is a re-born organisation with the aim to market Chardonnay internationally, and in this tasting held at High Timber in May 2025 we pitted 23 South African Chardonnays against 12 international Chardonnays. How did the tasting work? We tasted a pair of wines blind and then there was a reveal, and this repeated a number of times until we’d done all the wines.
These are my notes and scores as written blind, with some supplementary details about the wines added later.
We started with a sparkling flight and then it was blind all the way.
This was an interesting set of wines. There were some famous South African names missing, but the ones that were included all did well. The consistency of quality was amazing. And it’s clear from my scores that at least I thought that the South African Chardonnays were completely in their peer group, showing really well. This is undoubtedly a strong category for South Africa.
Hidden Springs Blanc de Blancs 2018 Sussex, England
This is made by a South African winemaker. Bright and lively with lovely citrus fruit and nice energy. Has good acidity with very subtle toast and nice acid line. Some noticeable dosage adds balance. 91/100
Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2019 Roberston, South Africa
Compact and bright with nice acidity and a lovely pure line of citrus fruit. Has some sour cherry in the mix. Nice complexity here with a juicy finish. Good acidity. Very stylish. 93/100
Haut Cabrière Chardonnay Reserve 2023 Franschhoek, South Africa
12.5% alcohol. This is supple and lively with good acidity. Nice concentration of citrus fruit with some stony, mineral character. Textured and restrained with nice intensity. Very stylish, in a cooler-climate style. 94/100
Groote Poste Pinch of Salt Chardonnay 2024 Darling, South Africa
Lively peach, pineapple and citrus fruit. Quite bold with good energy. Some tropical richness: quite neon in character with lovely ripe fruit, and a touch of spiciness in the background. Classy with a long, spice-laden finish, in a modern style. 92/100
Journey’s End Destination Chardonnay 2023 Stellenbosch, South Africa
14% alcohol. 15% new oak. Complex and layered with rich toast, peach and spice as well as some crystalline citrus fruit. This is bold, broad, peachy and spicy. Very rich and quite delicious. 94/100
Murdoch Hill Chardonnay 2021 Adelaide Hills, Australia
15% new oak. Lively and energetic but with some depth. Compact peach and spice here with nice tastiness. Lively with some pineapple brightness, finishing with a nice bitter twist. Tangy and alert. 93/100
Iona Monopole Elgin Highlands Chardonnay 2023 Elgin, South Africa
15% new oak. From Kloof. Powerful and lively but showing nice balance. Lovely citrus drive with some stony, salty character and a touch of mealiness. Good acidity here with some brightness. This is very stylish, finishing stony. 94/100
Kruger Family Wines Sutherland Chardonnay 2023 Karoo, South Africa
From 1500 m. Fermented in clay amphora and a concrete egg. Supple and elegant with nice peach, pear and citrus fruit, showing some saltiness and a bit of stoniness. Supple and juicy with a lovely acid line. Has the richer, more tropical notes but also keen acidity, finishing long with a slight bitter twist. 94/100
Michel Bouzereau Meursault Les Tessons 2022 Bourgogne, France
This is very classy. Some ripe citrus and bold pineapple with nice crystalline structure and good acidity. Great concentration and focus here with bold fruit, good acidity and a nice bitter twist. Textured and complete. 95/100
Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2023 Stellenbosch, South Africa
13% alcohol. 77% new oak. This is bold and rich and has some toasty development, with hazelnut and lemon and real power. Has some spicy depth with nice intensity, showing real character, and finishing lively. Long finish. Such a vital, complex wine. 95/100
Oak Valley Groenlandberg Chardonnay 2023 Elgin, South Africa
33% new oak. Compact and quite taut with a stony edge to the citrus fruit. Bright and quite pure. Has some richness on the mid-palate, but this isn’t an obvious wine, and shows good restraint. Juicy and fruity. 92/100
Paul Cluver Seven Flags Chardonnay 2023 Elgin, South Africa
13% alcohol. 10% new oak. There’s quite a bit of spicy oak impact here with nice juiciness, showing keen acidity and tart lemony fruit. Nice concentration of flavour. Has richness and some sweetness to the fruit, finishing juicy. 93/100
P&M Jaqueson Rully Premier Cru Vauvry 2022 Bourgogne, France
15% new oak. This is dense and powerful with ripe, open pear and pineapple fruit. Good acidity and nice weight. Fleshy and expressive. There’s a touch of caramel on the finish. But it’s really expressive. 93/100
Tokara Reserve Collection Chardonnay 2024 Stellenbosch, South Africa
27% new oak, 100% malolactic. Beautifully expressive lemony nose with a hint of creaminess and hazelnut, but it’s all about the fruit. The palate is really pretty and expressive with a hint of pineapple and nice lemony detail. Quite crystalline. Really expressive with a wide dynamic range. Good winemaking here. 94/100
Waterford Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2020 Stellenbosch, South Africa
12% alcohol. 15% new oak (300 litre). This has good concentration with sweet pear and green apple notes, as well as a hint of cherry brightness. Supple and bright with nice tart acidity on the finish. Quite stylish, showing some restraint. 92/100
Newton Johnson Chardonnay 2023 Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa
13% alcohol. Expressive and bold with good concentration, showing juicy lemony fruit as well as some pineapple. Bold and vivid with high acidity. Expressive with nice intensity. A full-on style with real intensity. 94/100
Black Book Painter of Light Chardonnay 2020 Essex, England
Bright and lively with nice citrus fruit, showing nice precision and good acidity. Quite pure and focused. This is really stylish with a subtle mealy hint. So nice, with just a touch of wildness. 95/100
Whalehaven Seascape Reserve Chardonnay 2024 Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa
12% alcohokl. Made by Richard Kershaw. This is weighty but fresh with lovely acidity. This is precise with good citrus drive and some richer pear notes. Juicy and alert, with purity and keen acidity. Linear, stylish. 95/100
Mousehall Tidebrook Saddle Stone Chardonnay 2023 Sussex, England
This is rich but focused and fresh, with keen acidity under the bright lemon and pear fruit. Nice crystalline citrus fruit with good concentration and amazing focus. Such complexity, finishing slightly salty, and long and intense. 95/100
Creation Glenn’s Chardonnay 2023 Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, South Africa
13.5% alcohol. 30% new oak. Some classy wood here, with nuts and spice, and a touch of almond, as well as bold citrus fruit. Lovely acidity under the bold fruit, showing nice intensity. Carries the wood well. 94/100
Chamonix Reserve Chardonnay 2022 Franschhoek, South Africa
80% barrel (45% new), 20% concrete eggs. Juicy and bright, but has development. There’s some toasty richness with lovely elegance to the pear, apple and peach fruit. Such lovely balance with nice toasty development, and really expressive fruit. 95/100
Sandi Chardonnay 2021 Sta. Rita Hills, California
Lively with grapefruit and apple, and some lemon. Open, fruity and bright with nice precision and energy, showing brightness with a transparency to it. Good acidity. 93/100
Arnot Roberts Watson Ranch Chardonnay 2021 Napa Valley, California
12.5% alcohol. Waxy, pithy and concentrated with nice depth. Restrained and well balanced. Some nice pithiness here with a core of direct citrus fruit, as well as a touch of ripe pear. Very stylish in this restrained manner. 94/100
Rickety Bridge Chardonnay 2024 Franschhoek/Elgin, South Africa
Fermented in 500 litre oak and foudres. Lovely balance: crystalline and sweetly fruited with lovely precision to the compact citrus fruit, with good acidity. Very stylish and assured with lovely fruit. 93/100
Restless River Estate Chardonnay 2023 Upper Hemel-en-Arde Valley, South Africa
This is a lower-priced wine that sits under Ava in the range, made from younger vines, but all estate fruit. This is complex and taut with bold citrus and pineapple fruit with real complexity and good acidity. Crystalline, complex and fine with super-stylish oak use, and lovely precision. So expressive. 96/100
Droin Chablis 2022 Bourgogne, France
Really lovely melon, peach, pear and citrus fruit with amazing detail. Nicely complex with an open personality, and moderate acidity. This is brilliantly open and expressive. Ripe and delicious. 95/100
Patrick Sullivan Millstream Chardonnay 2019 Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
Really complex, toasty and spicy. Very showy but well balanced. Lemon, grapefruit and spice with a tapering finish. Very stylish in this crystalline, toasty mould. 94/100
Springfield Méthode Ancienne Chardonnay 2020 Robertson, South Africa
Intense, vivid, complex and lively. Has a touch of sweet acidity. Powerful citrus and grapefruit with nice intensity to the ripe peachy fruit. Very stylish and bold with nice acidity. A rich, complete wine. 95/100
Guy Amiot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Macherelles 2021 Bourgogne, France
One-third barrel, two-thirds stainless steel. Grapey and broad with nice citrus fruit and some table grape notes. There’s nice openness to the fruit with some melon richness. Very fruity and expressive; ripe but with good balance. 93/100
Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Frionnes 2021 Bourgogne, France
Taut and focused with nice citrus weight. Very expressive with lovely acidity. Some pithy hints with lovely purity. Has a hint of reduction. Nice acidity on the finish. Quite compact. 94/100
Lismore Reserve Chardonnay 2022 Greyton, South Africa
One-third new oak. Complex, pungent nose with pineapple, pear and apricot. In the mouth this is rich and bold with powerful sweet pear and pineapple fruit. Very intense and full with super-concentrated, rich fruit. So exotic. 93/100
Ataraxia Earthborn Chardonnay 2023 Hemel-en-Arde, South Africa
15% new oak. Fresh and direct with bold acidity and some pithy detail. Bold and pithy with some tart acidity and nice concentrated pineapple and pear fruit. Powerful and vivid with nice focus. Bold. 94/100
Boschendal Appellation Chardonnay 2022 Elgin, South Africa
20% new oak. Ripe and fruit-driven with nice acidity, showing plump pear and peach fruit. Nice weight and fruit here. Lovely fruit intensity 93/100
Cavalli Chardonnay 2023 Helderberg, Stellenbosch, South Africa
25% new oak. This has nice toasty, spicy detail with sweet pear and peach fruit. Nicely concentrated with good acidity. Some nice pineapple notes. This is really effective in a ripe style. 94/100
