2022 Doudet-Naudin Chardonnay Vin de France 750 ml

Our first vintage of Doudet-Naudin Chardonnay Vin de France was one of only five Chardonnays to make the cut for Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Best Buys. We offered it to our members, and they loved it, bestowing a rating that made it our top-rated under-$20 Chardonnay of all time. The second vintage earned massive raves too. 

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Chardonnay case-buy better than this—and once you have it chilled and you start popping bottles, you might find that a case isn’t enough. 

The firm of Doudet-Naudin, one of Burgundy’s oldest, was founded in 1849. Rochet acquired the property in 2014 and set about revitalizing it—all while keeping the values of this respected house firmly intact. 

To make an affordable Chardonnay that could garner some serious attention, Rochet took his expert skills to the windswept slopes of the Languedoc’s Aude Valley—the same area where the Rothschilds are getting serious adulation with Domaine de Baronarques. Though the valley enjoys ample exposure to the Mediterranean sun, cold winds coming off the Atlantic temper the heat. Combined with altitudes of up to 2,000 feet, it’s a perfect place to make Chardonnay endowed with brightness and verve.

Whether you sip it poolside or pair it with lobster risotto, this superb value will over-deliver in spades, keeping the focus on the fresh, precise fruit. What an outstanding wine to keep in good supply all year long!