Chardonnay: Something for Everyone
In recent decades, Chardonnay has always divided opinion.
Mention it in a group and you'll usually hear one of two things. Someone will tell you it's their favourite grape. Someone else will quickly reply that they never drink Chardonnay.
For years, Chardonnay became shorthand for a particular style of wine. Rich, heavily oaked and often overpowering, it earned a reputation that many people have never quite revisited. Yet the grape itself has always been one of the most adaptable in the world; a winemaker's dream because it is versatile.
At Abingworth, Chardonnay is our most widely planted variety, covering just over four hectares of Greenhurst Field. It's also the grape that has given us the greatest opportunity to explore different styles of winemaking. Rather than settling on one style, we've spent the past few years exploring its many expressions. While Chardonnay is best known for English sparkling wine, we're equally excited by what it can achieve as a still wine.
Using the grape as a blank canvas, the result is three very different wines, each beginning with the same fruit but ending with completely unique profiles. 2026 is the year three Chardonnays make their grand entrance.
One Grape. Three Stories
One of the joys of winemaking is discovering that the same fruit can take you in completely different directions. Some consumers love the capabilities that Chardonnay produces: mouthwateringly delicious, steely, high acidity and refreshing preservation of ripe fruit. Then, for those who love complexity and indulge in wines that tease rich, spiced, secondary and tertiary aromas and ageing capabilities, Chardonnay continues to optimise itself in a system-update manner.
Decisions in the vineyard, different clones, fermentation in steel, concrete or oak, and patience with the evolving wine all shape its final character. Each choice gradually changes the direction of the developing wine.
Rather than settling for one style, we've allowed the vineyard, the vintage and the winemaking to shape three distinct personalities, each reflecting a different side of both Chardonnay and Abingworth itself. Catering for wine lovers in all guises and coaxing those who are wary by providing choice.
Four Fables — Chardonnay for Complexity
Four Fables is a wine to be savoured, as part of the premium range at Abingworth it is an ode to those who celebrate all the virtues Chardonnay has to offer.
Crafted from carefully selected fruit from the challenging 2024 vintage, it became one of the most rewarding wines we've produced to date. Fermented across stainless steel, concrete egg and carefully selected oak before maturing patiently – it balances richness and texture with purity of fruit allowing each layer to emerge naturally.
Notes of Mirabelle plum and Amalfi lemon lead into a beautifully textured palate, followed by ripe apple, toasted hazelnut and delicate filo pastry. Beneath it all runs a gentle thread of saline minerality that keeps the wine poised and remarkably fresh.
It is a wine that required detail and patience in the winery and has since been rewarded beyond it, receiving a Gold Medal at the WineGB Awards 2026 and being shortlisted for the Chardonnay Trophy.
Like the resourceful fox on its label, Four Fables reminds us the best stories are shared over a glass of wine. The design nods to Abingworth's rich history of 16th Century secrets and discoveries reflecting a layered and expressive wine – rewarding both immediate enjoyment and contemplation.
Cloud Chorus — Chardonnay for Lighter Moments
Sometimes we just want something fresh, uplifting and effortlessly enjoyable. An easy wine for gathering around the table and savouring the moment.
This is how we arrived at Cloud Chorus. A wine that wasn’t planned but evolved naturally and quickly became one of the most joyful wines we've made. The playful frog on the label celebrates the wildlife that thrives around the vineyard. Its ability to move between earth, water and sky reflects the sense of freedom and adventure behind the wine, while the hot-air balloons drifting above Greenhurst echo Thakeham's long relationship with the skies. Together they capture the sense of freedom, freshness and possibility that inspired the wine itself.
Made from two aromatic Chardonnay clones and fermented in concrete and stainless steel, it celebrates freshness, pure fruit and effortless drinkability. Summer meadow flowers, lemon zest and green apple lead into white peach, Galia melon and delicate chalky minerality, creating a wine that feels bright from beginning to end.
The very essence of this wine is about simplicity and celebrating joy – “lift your spirits with a wine that sings.”
Ozymandias — Chardonnay in Celebration
Of course, we can’t overlook the style that first made English Chardonnay famous. Our focus is crafting elegant English still wines — but we also can’t avoid the fun of bubbles because who doesn’t love the sound of a cork popping?
For those who crave and must have fizz, we have you covered. Ozymandias, 2019 is the first release of Blanc de Blancs from Abingworth and is a celebration of just that. Crafted entirely from Chardonnay and aged patiently on its lees for 5 years to develop elegance, finesse and complexity.
Harnessing the vibrancy of Sussex Chardonnay grown on native greensand, it provides delicate aromatics and concentrated ripe fruit with bright natural acidity; it’s a glass of fizz that presents the elegance for the occasion. Ozymandias, our ‘King of Kings’ Chardonnay honours Percy Bysshe Shelley, whose family once called the vineyard farm home, while the cornflower (an ancient symbol of rebirth) reflects commitment to environmental longevity and the enduring spirit required to grow vines in England.
Elegant aromas of lemon zest, green apple and white peach unfold into layers of toasted brioche and fresh pastry, making it a wine equally suited to celebrations both grand and small.
Good things take time. After five years on its lees, Ozymandias finally made its debut in 2026, a long-awaited celebration of English Chardonnay and reminder that it's worth waiting for.
Rediscovering Chardonnay
One of our favourite moments during tasting comes when we are told we they enjoyed the wine after being sceptical. That might be one of the greatest compliments we can receive. Offering a different perspective rather than changing someone's mind.
The beauty of Chardonnay is that it is not restrictive. It can be bright and refreshing. Rich and contemplative. Elegant and sparkling. It depends where you choose to start...
Which Chardonnay Will You Discover?
Whether you're drawn to the bold complexity of Four Fables, the vibrant freshness of Cloud Chorus or the celebratory elegance of Ozymandias, each bottle begins with the same grape and the belief that great wine should never be confined to one style.
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Discover your perfect match -
If you're curious to discover your own favourite expression of English Chardonnay, we'd love to welcome you to Abingworth. Join us for a vineyard tour, explore our collection online or simply open a bottle of Chardonnay and discover what a glorious grape it can be.
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