Founded by Edmond De Ayala in 1860, the House Ayala possesses a remarkable history, rooted in the visionary spirit that resonates with its melodious name from distant lands. The name Ayala appears almost serendipitous, intricately tailored for the village of Aÿ, where the House has proudly stood since its inception. Edmond De Ayala, an inquisitive and bold personality, consistently pursued the path less travelled. Vibrant with the essence of excellence and a spirit of adventure, the House of Ayala continues to be inspired by the indomitable founder who paved its way. In contrast to the prevailing French tradition of dosage, which exceeded 150 g/L during that era, Edmond De Ayala took a bold and audacious move by unveiling "dry champagne" in 1865, with a mere 21 g/L dosage. As a true pioneer, he possessed a discerning vision to revolutionize the Champagne landscape by introducing a drier style, which has created a profound impact to the modern world. Through bespoke craftsmanship, House Ayala employs a tailored approach, working with a diverse selection of crus to achieve the utmost balance and skilfully express the exceptional terroir surrounding Chardonnay, the house's emblematic grape variety. Champagne Ayala relentlessly pursues the finest raw materials from the Champagne region and currently boasts a palette of 70 crus, with 50 of them dedicated to Chardonnay. These crus are sourced from the most esteemed terroirs of Champagne. This remarkable diversity, a distinctive feature of the house, contributes to the complexity and vibrant aromatic freshness found in their blends. The house maintains 20 hectares of their own vineyards, situated in esteemed locations such as the Montagne de Reims, encompassing Aÿ Grand Cru and Dizy, as well as the Côte des Blancs, including Chouilly and Oger, both classified as Grands Crus. Additionally, they have vineyards in Champvoisy and Passy-Grigny in the Vallée de la Marne. With an unwavering commitment to pure expression of the raw materials, Champagne Ayala is transitioning their vineyards to organic viticulture and has obtained HEV and VDC certifications. The House consistently fosters trusting relationships with winegrowers and supports them in their environmental endeavours. Elaborated in limited quantities, exceptionally during the most expressive years, Le Blanc de Blancs brings to the light all of the elegance and the purity from the Chardonnay of the Côte des Blancs. This terroir is home to the most beautiful Chardonnays with a great ageing potential, including three Grands Crus which form the fundamentals of the blend. Chouilly, the House’s own vineyard, complete and subtle, brings a silky texture, a freshness, and an aromatic diversity to the cuvée. Le Mesnil-sur-Oger brings the tension, the precision, and a beautiful ageing capacity, in perfect harmony with the chalky minerality of Cramant. A signature blend, enriched by a selection of remarkable Premiers Crus. Recognizable by its both pure and creamy style, Le Blanc de Blancs is a genuine ode to Chardonnay. The signature cuvée of Caroline Latrive. Ensuring a consistent style, she does not hide her love of Chardonnay, and gives it a central place in her blends. Brilliant and contemporary, this prestigious cuvée flourishes in a special bottle, promoting the development of the organoleptic profile during the 6 years of ageing on lees in the cellars. The ultimate epicurean aperitif, Le Blanc de Blancs 2016 also marvellously goes with a lemony sea bream ceviche, a prawn risotto, or a braised veal fondant with rosemary.

Mayacamas is famed today for its thrilling and ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignon, but the estate’s journey to Napa Valley icon status was propelled by acclaim for its Chardonnay. The first Chardonnay vines—all Wente clone—went in the ground at the property in 1975. After the estate’s sale in 2013 to the Schottenstein family, extensive replanting saw the retention of this classic US Chardonnay clone, supplemented by a few blocks of Dijon. The Chardonnay blocks are scattered throughout the 475-acre property (only 50 are planted to vines) and sit on various soil profiles (volcanic ash, gravelly loam, cobbled clay) at different elevations (550-650 metres) and aspects. This mélange of topographical features and clonal material paints a picture of the site, takes a snapshot in time and consistently results in a harmonious and balanced wine with mountainous character and experience-led charm. Each block is picked separately in the cool early morning, and multiple passes are made to ensure only perfectly ripe, healthy fruit makes the cut. In the cellar, the fruit is hand-sorted and pressed predominantly (95%) as whole clusters at very low pressure. The juice is cold-settled and racked to old barrels for a long, cool primary fermentation. Importantly—and unusually for the region—malolactic conversion is inhibited at Mayacamas; it has been this way since the Bob Travers days from the 1970s to the 2000s. This gives a beautiful racy character to the broad and powerful framework of fruit. The wine then rests in barrels of various sizes with no stirring for 12 months. The use of new oak is also negligible at just one or two barrels per year… Cali Chardonnay without the make-up, if you like!

A fine-boned Chardonnay that reflects vintage conditions and the character of a unique vineyard site purchased by Shaw + Smith in 2012. Inaugural vintage: 2014. Planted in 1999, the vineyard has east and west facing aspects and reaches 500 meters above sea level. The soil is brown loam over clay with some broken shale and stone on the ridges. The wine is100% hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, then fermented and matured on lees in 500-litre French oak puncheons (30% new) for 9 months.

Sourced from dry-grown, hand tended vines in the north east of Victoria, this Beechworth Chardonnay from Savaterre will surely convince even the most hardened Chardonnay critic that modern Australian Chardonnay is of supreme world-class standard. Keppell Smith handcrafts a Chardonnay of utmost power and concentration that produces a length of flavour that borders on the immortal.

Olivier Leflaive was co-manager of Domaine Leflaive until 1994 before withdrawing to concentrate on his own venture which he started in 1985. Today the domaine produces wine from some 65 appellations with 85% of the production being white wine. One of Burgundys most respected producers the estate produces a number of domaine wines from its own vineyards alongside its range of negocé bottlings. This famous Chardonnay from the Olivier Leflaive's domain expresses noble and distinguished aromas with notes of citrus, beautiful minerality and toasted scents. The mouth is elegant and tonic with a very long persistence.