Australian chardonnay has never been better, so it stands to reason that the grape would make up the lion’s share of this list of the 20 best Australian white wines over $40.
Yet, with pinot grigio, fiano, riesling, roussanne, sauvignon blanc and vermentino also featuring, there is plenty of variety to be found here.
Chosen by the Halliday Tasting Team for the 2026 Halliday Top 100, these 20 white wines are the best in their price bracket right now. And while there might not be a ceiling on that bracket, 80 per cent of the list ranges between $40 and $75.
BK Wines The Fall Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2024, Adelaide Hills
Green almond, nougat and the sweet scent of apple blossom. There's a harmony within that suggests gentle handling in the vineyard and winery; the acidity is far-reaching, like roads mapped over a city viewed from a great height. Green apple, lemon pudding with crème fraîche, white chocolate ganache, grapefruit pith and pistachio. A blistering salinity courses through, with elements of slate and broken quartz. Vitality with body, seduction by means of metronomic balance. – Katrina Butler
96 points | $70 | Diam | 12.8% alc. | BK Wines profile | Winery website | @
Brokenwood Oakey Creek Vineyard Chardonnay 2025, Hunter Valley
The fourth release from this vineyard, a 2.68ha parcel on a gentle south-facing slope. Hand picked and whole-bunch pressed with wild fermentation in French oak. The line of acidity running through this wine sets it apart from most other chardonnays of the '25 vintage. Highly sophisticated and aromatic with tight sweet-lemon fruit, fresh, detailed sulphides and attractive grapefruit pith. Super stylish and highly satisfying. – Toni Paterson MW
96+ points | $66 | Screw cap | 12.5% alc. | Brokenwood profile | Winery website | @
Canobolas Wines Chardonnay 2024, Orange
A calm and temperate vintage for Orange, this was picked over four non-consecutive days. From vines planted in '85 on red ferrosol soils. Indigenous yeast ferment, 50% mlf, matured for 11 months in 20% new oak and an additional seven months on lees in stainless steel tanks. The wine opens with crumbly bedrock, marigold and banksia. Its mineral core sweeps through with riverstone and licks of lemon salt. Citron is a constant thread throughout, with undulating waves of acidity and phenolic pomelo pith to finish. Power and drive now, but a bit more time in the bottle, and this will continue to unfurl. Another joyous wine from Canobolas. – Shanteh Wale
96+ points | $65 | Screw cap | 12.4% alc. | Canobolas Wines profile | Winery website | @
Evans & Tate Redbrook Estate Chardonnay 2023, Margaret River
At first, this classy wine is deceptive because it doesn’t reveal everything at once. It takes time to open, starting with a light spray of citrus, all pink grapefruit and Meyer lemon, with an even lighter flutter of smoky sulphides. In time, flavours build with spicy, cedary oak, all integrated, adding shape, too, with nougatine-like lees and mouth-watering acidity. The finish is long, and all up, this is a beauty. – Jane Faulkner
