7 of the Best Chardonnays From France’s Beaujolais, a Region Famous for Reds
While the Beaujolais region of France, just south of Burgundy, is famous for its red wines made from the Gamay variety, did you know that it grows small amounts of Chardonnay as well?
It turns out that Beaujolais Blanc is one of the best-kept secrets of the broader Burgundy region and is gaining more recognition. (Beaujolais is technically part of Burgundy, though the soils and the red wines — Gamay versus Pinot Noir — are distinct, which is why most people in the wine world consider them separate regions.)
The white wines have always intrigued me, and they are quite similar to Burgundian Chardonnays, though perhaps more on the fruity side and made either with or without oak aging. When wood is used, it tends to accent rather than dominate.
Perhaps the biggest difference is the price: While good white Burgundies, even those from the more humble Mâcon subregion in the south, can cost $30, $40, $50, and more, most Beaujolais Blancs are in the more comfortable $20 to $30 range. And well worth it.
Field Blend Selections, the importer of the excellent Domaine Emmanuel Fellot Beaujolais Blanc, notes on its website that only 3 percent of Beaujolais’ vineyards are planted to Chardonnay, adding that “this may be the natural limit since the clay-limestone alluvial soils more suited to Chardonnay are quite rare compared to the Gamay-friendly granite soils.”
Unlike the Gamay-based wines of Beaujolais, many of which are named after the 10 crus in the north of the region, most of the white wines are produced in the south and must be labeled “Beaujolais” or “Beaujolais-Villages.”
Some of the Chardonnays are also labeled “Pierres Dorées,” which means “golden stones” and is named for an area in the south of Beaujolais where the dominant soil is yellow limestone, which is also found in Burgundy. They are considered some of the best Beaujolais Blancs.
With their modest prices and refreshing, easy-to-drink character, Beaujolais Blancs are great wines for informal, late-summer lunches and dinners and for drinking on their own.
Here are seven of the best Beaujolais Blancs:
Jean-Paul Brun Beaujolais Blanc ‘Terres Dorées’ 2024
A delicate, chalky minerality underlies this gorgeous Chardonnay and its notes of pear, honeysuckle, herb-tinged mandarin, and a hint of fennel seed. Jean-Paul Brun farms organically and the wine is aged in steel and concrete tanks. A few retailers sell it for the almost unbelievable price of around $20.
Price: $22
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Emmanuel Fellot Beaujolais Blanc 2025
This is a wonderful, mineral-driven Chardonnay. Though young, its ripe fruit notes — crisp white peach, citrus, and a touch of honey — make it a pleasure to enjoy right now. There’s a touch of green apple skin, white flowers, and firm acidity on the long finish. Clean, crisp, balanced, and delicious.
Price: $24
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Georges Descombes Beaujolais Blanc 2023
This wine is only available in magnums, but the double-sized bottle will be a hit when you pour it for your guests or bring it to dinner. Aged in fiberglass tanks and barrels, it’s complex and subtle — the fruit, the minerality, the acidity all in balance. Notes of ripe pear, mandarin, and touches of vanilla, white pepper, and almond combine in this notable Chardonnay.
Price: $63 (1.5 liters)
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Château Pougelon Beaujolais Blanc ‘Pierres Dorées’ 2024
The aromas transport you to a peach or apricot orchard in late summer, and the ripe stone fruit notes continue in the mouth along with green apple and touches of flint and white pepper. There’s a textured minerality on the long finish. The wine is aged in stainless steel and concrete and sets a benchmark in the region for non-oaked Chardonnay.
Price: $33
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Domaine de Fa Beaujolais-Villages ‘Leynes Les Magnons’ 2023
Aged in stainless steel tanks and larger used oak barrels, this wine is on the richer side, with hints of vanilla and caramel infusing notes of pear and apricot. It’s also quite herbal, adding another layer of complexity. The owners and winemakers, Maxime and Antoine Graillot, use organic and biodynamic methods and were famous in the Northern Rhône when they expanded to Beaujolais in 2013.
Price: $23
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Château des Jacques Beaujolais Blanc 2024
This wine reminded me of a Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay from southern Burgundy. It’s fresh, fruity, and uncomplicated with notes of apple, white peach, and hints of honey and orange. A good-value Chardonnay from the north of Beaujolais not far from Pouilly-Fuissé in the Mâcon. Château des Jacques is part of the Louis Jadot Burgundy house.
Price: $24
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Arnaud Combier ‘Blanc-Sain’ Vin de France Chardonnay 2023
It’s not clear whether this wine is from Beaujolais, Burgundy, or perhaps both. But what I do know is that it’s an excellent Chardonnay. It’s labeled as a Vin de France, which suggests a hybrid origin, and Arnaud Combier produces wines in both regions. In any event, this one drinks way above its price tag with concentrated fruit notes of ripe peach, sweet apple, pineapple, and tangerine, along with balanced acidity and touches of mint, minerals, and caramel. It’s aged in both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. Alcohol is just 12.5 percent.
Price: $19
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Next up: Red blends from the Finger Lakes
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