| Category | Name | Rating | | Notes |
| Chardonnay | Adelsheim 'Stoller Vineyard Clone 76' Chardonnay Yamhill County Oregon | 4.0 | | What's distinctive about Adelsheim's wines are not only their elegance and balance, but also their labels. Ginny Adelsheim tells a story on each bottle with poignant sketches of women. This Burgundian-style chard is full, smooth and complex. |
| Chardonnay | Arrowood Chardonnay Sonoma County | 4.0 | | Oh, what a pretty wine. Silky and balanced with spice notes, pear and melon flavors, this bottling shows why Arrowood is one of the leading producers of California chardonnay. |
| Chardonnay | Carmel Road Chardonnay | 4.5 | | A gorgeous chardonnay that rivals the best of Burgundy. Highly aromatic with spiced apple and pear wafting from the glass, and backed up with racy acidity and well-integrated oak. Made from Dijon clone fruit grown in Monterey's cool climate. |
| Chardonnay | Castle Vineyards Chardonnay Sonoma Valley | 3.5 | | Big and buttery, but doesn't go over the top. This chardonnay is unique in its ability to capture the full-bore California style while keeping food-friendly acidity and a creamy mouthfeel. |
| Chardonnay | Geyser Peak Winery Chardonnay 'Reserve' | 4.0 | | Not your shy or retiring type of chardonnay. Deep golden in color, this wine sports richness, depth and an embarrassingly long finish. And best of all, it doesn't sacrifice acid for opulence. The creamy, buttery quality shines through. |
| Chardonnay | Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve | 3.5 | | A consistently popular wine full of apple and pear fruitiness complemented by well-balanced, spicy oak flavors and a barely perceptible, but appealing, touch of sweetness.
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| Chardonnay | Leeuwin Estate 'Siblings' | 4.0 | | Combining 60 percent sauvignon blanc with 40 percent semillon gives a vibrant richness to this blend. It marries herbal, grassy freshness with opulent apricot and fig flavors. The bottle is worth it for the label artwork alone. |
| Chardonnay | Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay | 3.5 | | Throw out those over-oaked, buttery chards and uncork this food-friendly white. Sweet melon notes pair with hints of oak and a wonderful zesty finish. A great choice to stock up on for parties. |
| Chardonnay | Morgan Winery Chardonnay | 3.5 | | Tropical fruit aromas mix with touches of toastiness and spice. It's soft and smooth, generous and friendly -- qualities that make the wine so easy to sip. |
| Chardonnay | R.H. Phillips Chardonnay | 3.5 | | Another winner. Spicy, anise-scented aromas hit you first and are followed with ripe tropical fruit flavors and noticeable, but well-integrated toastiness. Luckily, it doesn't sacrifice food-friendly acidity to achieve the smooth texture. |
| Chardonnay | R.H. Phillips 'Toasted Head' Chardonnay California | 3.5 | | A bear breathing fire on the label tells you something about this chardonnay...it's serious stuff. Ultra ripe pear and pineapple fruit is backed up with strong toasty oak flavors. |
| Chardonnay | Schug Winery Chardonnay | 4.0 | | Crafted with European flair, this elegant, complex chardonnay is at home on any dinner table. Sunshine-kissed California fruit is tempered with Chablis-like racy acidity and a sweet oak character.
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| Chardonnay | Turning Leaf Chardonnay 'Coastal Reserve' | 4.0 | | Who says $10 doesn't buy anything these days? When I tasted this wine blind with other chards more than two-to-three times its price, it came out on top. A substantial white with abundant fruit and just the right amount of toasty oak character.
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| Chardonnay | [yellow tail] Chardonnay South Eastern Australia | 4.0 | | Simply one of the best affordable whites on the market. Exploding with ripe, tropical fruit flavors, tangy acidity and a hint of spicy oak, this chard tastes like a $20 bottle. The quirky winery name fits the offbeat label -- a hopping kangaroo. |