Best Chardonnay Under $20: Showdown Results!

We tasted some fantastic wines, in a variety of different styles and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at what we found. There wasn’t necessarily one wine that ran away with the competition, but there was indeed a winner and we also found a handful of very solid performers and handed out more BUY ratings than I was expecting! So without further ado, here are the Top 5 wines in theChardonnay Showdown:

FIFTH PLACE
2010 Michael-David Vineyards Seven Heavenly Chardonnay, SRP of $14, California

A deliciously full-bodied and creamy wine.

FOURTH PLACE
2009 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay, SRP of $18, available for around $16, California.

The most expensive wine in the competition, but it backs up the price with great taste!

THIRD PLACE
2010 Famiglia Meschini Premium Unoaked Chardonnay, SRP of $12, available for $10, Argentina.

Refreshingly sweet and unoaked; perfect for a hot day.

SECOND PLACE
2009 Hess Select Chardonnay, SRP of $12, available widely for $9-$10, California.

Perhaps the wine with the greatest mass appeal…it would be hard not to like this Chardonnay.

FIRST PLACE
2009 Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay, SRP of $17 but available for $14-$15, South Africa.

Passionfruit, guava, and nutmeg with great texture and spice…who knew South Africa made a Chardonnay like this? This is definitely a wine you’ll want to seek out and try!

Showing just how diverse this grape is, every region ended up with at least one wine with a Buy rating. California had a remarkable showing with 3 of the 5 wines in the competition ending up on the top 5 list. In the end; however, the Boschendal Chardonnay from South Africa comes out on top taking home the crown in the first ever Reverse Wine Snob Chardonnay Showdown. Congratulations to our winner and thanks for following along…now go out and buy some Chardonnay!

Chardonnay Showdown Series | Intro | Post #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 |#12 | Results