Wine of the week: three great chardonnays for under £20

published 4 December 2015

Here's a literary discount like never before: it's a once in a lifetime read one "wine of the week" column, and get two free! I am focusing on chardonnay this time, and my theme is posh white wine that goes with turkey (but is also damn good with everything else). I have three to recommend.

First is Newton Johnson Southend Chardonnay (£14.49, reduced to£13.04 in any 12; Laithwaites.co.uk, 03330-148168), which is the most remarkable white I have ever seen from this estate. The oak is subtle and the fruit is restrained but full. The counterpoint between energy andcalm creates stunning tension on the palate.

Secondly, 2014 Robert Oatley Finisterre Chardonnay from Margaret River,western Australia (£18.99, Waitrose.com). It is a grand creation, a finely-honed wine for a seriously competitive price. French oak has been used judiciously to create a backdrop for the shimmering chardonnay fruit.

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Lastly, 2014 Vir-Cless Quintaine, Domaine Guillemot-Michel, Burgundy, France (£21.20, reduced to £18.50 if you buy three bottles, until 18 January. Tanners-wines.co.uk, 01743-234455) is a wine that sees no oak in its production, but has a magnificent fruit quality. These three wines may share a grape, but they are completely different, utterly spellbinding and all under £20.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (MatthewJukes.com).

Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.