Chardonnays: 25% discount
… a Waitrose sale …
With ‘Dry January’ heading to closure, it might be time to stock up on a few bargains before sharpening the corkscrew for 2026’s vinous delights.
Waitrose have another 25% off season, and perhaps a few Chardonnays for consumption in the short-term could be a good way to replenish diminished supplies after the festivities.
1 - Domaine Seguinot-Bordet Petit Chablis 2024, Burgundy
I’ve been tasting a few 2024 Burgundies over the last few weeks, and it is definitely a White Wine vintage. Unless you head a long way up the ratecard. This has a light, refreshingly bright, nutty mid-palate, and if you were serving prawns in any guise as a starter, then this is perfect. Uncomplicated, very well-made, and at under £15 per bottle exceptional value. Petit Chablis is made from vines perched on the higher plateau soils, outside the main vineyard area. Historically, often overlooked as a ‘second’ wine but today, with the accelerating prices for White Burgundies, then a tad under the radar, and very, very good value. Immensely quaffable.
£14.80 - Waitrose - 3 or more bottles - link
2 - Craggy Range Kidnappers Chardonnay 2023, Hawke’s Bay
Great balance between the acidity and the fruit. Light, refreshing, medium-bodied and well constructed. Sits very comfortably on the palate and with roast chicken would be perfect for the Sunday lunch.
£16.80 - Waitrose - 3 or more bottles - link
3 - Simonnet-Febvre, Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons 2020, Burgundy
This must be a bin-end. This price for a very well made Premier Cru Chablis with a few years under its belt is exceptional value. Therefore, I do not know how much they have available. Well constructed with a defined lemony zing and ripe peaches on the palate. This estate is owned by Louis Labour: consistently makes very good wines.
£24.00 - Waitrose - 3 bottles or more - link
4 - Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay 2024, Stellenbosch
If you are heading to the Cape this winter, pop in for a tour and tasting at this winery. Not as glitzy as Delair Graff, and the buildings have not been given the extensive makeover they have at Vergelegen. However, sitting in their garden enjoying a collection of their wines on a bright, warm afternoon is a very tranquil place to explore what this winery creates. If you enjoy Chardonnay with food, then this with the veal in the creamy, mushroom sauce works wonders as it would with a Coronation Chicken during the summer. It will certainly keep for a few years.
£26.40 - Waitrose - 3 bottles or more - link
5 - Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay 2023, Adelaide Hills
As I have written about before, this has a distinct cult following in Australia. With good reason. Rich and deeply satisfying, it just works every time you pour a glass.
£28.80 - Waitrose - 3 bottles or more - link
6 - Pierro Chardonnay 2022, Margaret River
There is often a raised eyebrow when I suggest buying an Australian white for over £40 per bottle, never mind the non-discounted price of over £50. However, this is one of the many excellent Chardonnays being produced in the Margaret River region, just south of Perth. Red apples, peaches, gentle element of lemon peel, hints of oak from the barrel fermentation and ageing. Graceful, delicate, balanced with a long finish. It’s not White Burgundy, but on the quality scale it matches and surpasses pound-for-pound. A wine to always have in your cellar. This will carry on providing exquisite drinking into the early 2030s.
£42.40 - Waitrose - 3 bottles or more - link