Charlie’s Favorite Wines
Chardonnay
The Versatile Baker of Burgundy
Meet Charlie, Nora’s best friend and one of the most easygoing characters in Vino Village. He’s versatile, multifaceted, and never quite the same wine twice – sometimes crisp and citrusy, sometimes rich, buttery, and full of spice. He’s also a talented baker who loves working with butter and baking spices.
In wine terms? Charlie is Chardonnay, the primary white wine variety of Burgundy, France. It’s also the most widely planted white wine grape in the world.
Unlike most grapes, Chardonnay has very little flavor of its own. It’s a blank canvas, which means the winemaker’s choices, especially whether to age it in oak, shape almost everything you taste in the glass.
Unoaked Chardonnay is crisp, showing green apple, pear, and citrus with a chalky, mineral edge. Give it time in oak, and Chardonnay turns richer and rounder, with butter, vanilla, baking spices, and toasted bread notes. Oaked Chardonnays are often gold in color.
Burgundy is Charlie’s homeland, but like the well-traveled character he is, you’ll also find great Chardonnay in the US, Australia, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina.
It’s usually bottled on its own, but it also plays a starring role in Champagne, where it’s blended with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, or bottled alone as a “Blanc de Blancs.”
Now let’s find you some bottles he’d actually approve of.
Charlie’s Top Picks
Charlie picked bottles from his homeland and beyond. All available on Pop Up Wine Singapore. Click any wine name to shop it.
1. For a casual weeknight
Villa Vescovile : Chardonnay 2022
Trentino, Italy | $40 / bottle
Charlie says: "Not every Chardonnay needs a passport stamp from Burgundy to be good. This one’s from Trentino, up near the Dolomites, and it’s all fresh apple, citrus, and a touch of pear – dry, easy, and honest. Perfect for a Tuesday when you just want something uncomplicated in the glass."
Pairs with: Simple grilled fish, light pasta, or a cheese board
2. Great value-for-money
McHenry Hohnen : Laterite Hills Chardonnay (Organic) 2022
Margaret River, Australia | $57 / bottle
Charlie says: "This one’s proof that great Chardonnay doesn’t have to break the bank. McHenry Hohnen farms 100% organic and biodynamic, and this bottle scored 92 points from James Suckling and 92 from The Real Review. Citrus, white nectarine, and a touch of ginger spice. I’d bake a tart just to have an excuse to open it."
Pairs with: Roast chicken, crab cakes, or creamy mushroom pasta
3. For your first Burgundy
Georges Duboeuf : Cuvée Prestige Saint-Véran 2022
Mâconnais, Burgundy, France | $79 / bottle
Charlie says: "Welcome to my homeland. Saint-Véran sits in the Mâconnais, the softer, sunnier end of Burgundy, and this cuvée is pure Burgundy Chardonnay: white peach, honey, and a mineral streak underneath. Georges Duboeuf has been making wine here since 1964. They don’t call him the King of Beaujolais for nothing."
Pairs with: Roast chicken, seafood risotto, or a soft cheese platter
4. To impress at a dinner party
Georges Duboeuf : Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Cru “Le Clos Reyssier” 2021
Mâconnais, Burgundy, France | $106 / bottle
Charlie says: "Now we’re getting serious. Le Clos Reyssier is a Premier Cru, one step below the very top of Burgundy’s white wine hierarchy. This bottle has the scores to prove it: 94 points from Dussert Gerber and a Silver at the Decanter World Wine Awards, and the 2020 vintage took 92 from James Suckling, 91 from Decanter and a Gold at Chardonnay-du-Monde. Ripe passionfruit, green apple, and buttered toast."
Pairs with: Roasted turbot, lobster, or a triple-cream cheese
5. For a special occasion
Billecart-Salmon : Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne
Champagne, France | $135 / bottle
Charlie says: "Save this for a special occasion. Billecart-Salmon has been family-run since 1818, and their Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards. Bob Campbell rated it 95 points, and it has this chalky, elegant depth that just makes you slow down. Some things are worth the splurge."
Pairs with: Oysters, sushi, or simply on its own
Chardonnay Cheat Sheet
| Body | Medium |
| Color | Pale straw to deep gold (deeper with oak ageing) |
| Tasting notes | Green apple and citrus when unoaked; peach, butter, vanilla, and toasted bread when aged in oak |
| Serve at | 7–13°C (cooler for unoaked styles, a touch warmer for oaked) |
| Best with | Roast chicken, seafood, mushrooms, soft cheeses, creamy pasta |
| Avoid with | Very spicy food, delicate raw fish (with heavily oaked styles), tomato-heavy dishes |
| Glass type | White wine glass with a wider bowl for oaked styles (lets the buttery, toasty aromas open up) |
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