The 9 Best English Chardonnays

Chardonnay used to be the backbone of English sparkling wine. Now a growing number of English vineyards bottle it on its own, and the results are collecting trophies. This guide covers nine, from a £24.99 Herefordshire white to a £55 single-vineyard bottle from Kent, and I've tasted four of them myself. These are small-batch producers working in limited runs, so stock shifts quickly. If a bottle is sold out, the vineyard behind it is still worth tracking down.

English Chardonnays at a glance

Vineyard	Wine	Price	Best result
1276 Wines, Herefordshire	Chardonnay 2025	£24.99	IWC 2026 trophy (2024 vintage)
Highweald Wine, West Sussex	Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2023	£25 (sold out)	IWSC 2025 silver
Abingworth Vineyard, West Sussex	Four Fables Chardonnay 2024	£28	WineGB 2026 gold
Westwell, Kent	Petulant Nature Chardonnay 2025	£28	WineGB 2026 silver
Balfour Winery, Kent	Chardonnay 76 2022	£35	WineGB 2026 gold
Lyme Bay Winery, Devon	Martin's Lane Chardonnay 2020	£35 (sold out)	IWC trophy 2023, WineGB trophy 2025
Mousehall, East Sussex	Tidebrook Staddle Stone Chardonnay 2023	£36	Decanter 2026 Platinum
Chapel Down, Kent	Kit's Coty Chardonnay	£50	IWC 2026 gold
Gusbourne, Kent	Boot Hill Vineyard Chardonnay 2022	£55	Decanter 2026 gold

Why Chardonnay suits England

Chardonnay's fairly neutral profile makes it a mirror for where it grows, which is why it does well in southern England. Kent, Sussex and Hampshire sit on the same chalk and limestone seam as Champagne. Add a cool, marginal growing season and you get lower sugar and higher natural acidity, which means a leaner, more precise wine than warmer regions produce. For more on the grape's role here, see our Chardonnay grape guide.

What English Chardonnay tastes like

In the glass, that cool climate translates to crisp green apple, lemon and white peach, often with a saline edge. Fermented in stainless steel, the wine stays lean and citrus-forward. Put it through oak ageing or malolactic conversion, which turns sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid, and it gains toast, spice and cream. Even the richer versions keep enough acidity to avoid the heavy, buttery style Chardonnay can drift into elsewhere.

English Chardonnays I've tasted

Westwell

Location: Westwell, near Ashford, Kent

Petulant Nature Chardonnay was my favourite wine of 2026, and it isn't a still wine at all. It's Westwell's first Chardonnay pét-nat, bottled mid-fermentation so the bubbles come naturally, made with wild yeast in stainless steel, no added sulphur and hand disgorged. It's citrussy and saline with a touch of residual sweetness, and it took silver at WineGB 2026. I wrote up a visit to the estate in my Westwell review.

Wine: Petulant Nature Chardonnay 2025, £28
Buy: westwellwines.com

Abingworth Vineyard

Location: Thakeham, West Sussex

I tasted Four Fables at a Battle of the Wines blind tasting, set against a Chablis, Burgundy's own unoaked Chardonnay. Abingworth was the wine I preferred. It comes from fruit grown at their Greenhurst Field site and is fermented across a 1,700-litre concrete egg, stainless steel and oak, then rested on its lees. The 2024 vintage won gold at WineGB 2026, and Oz Clarke picked it out at WineAlive Bristol.

Wine: Four Fables Chardonnay 2024, £28
Buy: abingworthvineyard.com

1276 Wines

Location: Ledbury, Herefordshire

The 2024 was so good I'll be making the trip back to Ledbury for the 2025. I enjoyed the 2024 at home rather than in a busy trade room, and it also won a trophy at the International Wine Challenge 2026. I tried the 2025 at a WineGB trade tasting and preferred the 2024, but I want to give it a fair go in a quieter setting before I decide. Eight months in French oak barriques that are already a few years old gives the wine texture and spice without the oak taking over.

Wine: Chardonnay 2025 (the current release), £24.99
Buy: 1276wines.co.uk

Highweald Wine

Location: Haywards Heath, West Sussex

Wild Ferment Chardonnay comes from Dijon clones 76 and 95 and is fermented on wild yeast in neutral barrels, then aged for twelve months and bottled unfined and unfiltered. It won silver at the IWSC 2025. I've tasted it, and it's currently sold out, so keep an eye on the shop for the next release.

Wine: Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2023, £25 (currently sold out)
Buy: highwealdwine.com

More English Chardonnays worth tracking down

Mousehall

Location: Wadhurst, East Sussex

Tidebrook is Mousehall's second label, made by Gary and Kathy Jordan from bought-in fruit rather than the estate's own grapes, and both names belong to the same producer. Staddle Stone is barrel-fermented and aged for ten months in 228-litre French oak barrels, with a small tank-fermented portion blended in for freshness. The 2023 vintage won Platinum at Decanter 2026 with 97 points, and it's now on Mousehall's own shop.

Wine: Tidebrook Staddle Stone Chardonnay 2023, £36
Buy: mousehall.com

Lyme Bay Winery

Location: Shute, near Axminster, Devon

Lyme Bay is a Devon winery, but Martin's Lane Chardonnay is grown in Essex, in the Crouch Valley. It's fermented in new French oak and left on its lees for ten months. It won a trophy at the International Wine Challenge in 2023, then a WineGB trophy in 2025 with 98 points, and a run like that from one wine is rare. It's currently out of stock at the winery, so watch for the next release.

Wine: Martin's Lane Chardonnay 2020, £35 (currently out of stock)
Buy: lymebaywinery.co.uk

Balfour Winery

Location: Hush Heath Estate, Staplehurst, Kent

Chardonnay 76 is part of Balfour's Winemakers' Collection and won gold at WineGB 2026. Balfour says guests tend to assume it's French until they're told it comes from Kent.

Wine: Chardonnay 76 2022, £35
Buy: balfourwinery.com

Chapel Down

Location: Tenterden, Kent

Kit's Coty is Chapel Down's flagship single-vineyard range, and its Chardonnay is barrel-aged with real ageing potential. It won gold at WineGB in 2023 and 2024 and gold again at the International Wine Challenge 2026, each time with a different vintage, which makes it one of the more consistently decorated English Chardonnays rather than a one-year wonder.

Wine: Kit's Coty Chardonnay, £50
Buy: Majestic

Gusbourne

Location: Appledore, Kent

Gusbourne is better known for its Blanc de Blancs sparkling range, but Boot Hill Vineyard Chardonnay is a still wine from the same site. It's 100% Chardonnay, whole-bunch pressed and aged for ten months in French oak, only about a quarter of it new. It won gold at both Decanter 2026, scoring 95, and the International Wine Challenge 2026. Gusbourne's other still Chardonnay, Guinevere, has its own run of golds across several vintages.

Wine: Chardonnay Boot Hill Vineyard 2022, £55
Buy: gusbourne.com

Questions about English Chardonnay

What is the best English Chardonnay?

It depends on the style you like. Of the wines here, Lyme Bay's Martin's Lane has the strongest record, with trophies at the IWC in 2023 and WineGB in 2025. Mousehall's Staddle Stone won Decanter Platinum with 97 points. My own pick is Westwell's Petulant Nature, though it's a pét-nat rather than a still wine.

Is English Chardonnay oaked?

Some is and some isn't. Gusbourne, Lyme Bay and Mousehall all use French oak, Abingworth blends concrete egg, stainless steel and oak, and Highweald uses neutral barrels. Westwell's pét-nat is fermented in stainless steel with no oak at all.

How much does English Chardonnay cost?

At the time of writing, the wines here run from £24.99 to £55, and most sit between £25 and £36.

Can I visit the vineyards behind these wines?

Each vineyard's page on Vinebound explains how to visit, so check there before you travel. You can also browse the full vineyard finder, or read our guide to English wine grape varieties.