6 Classic Chardonnay Pinot Noir Wines (2024): Taste, Prices, Where It’s Made

The brilliant Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend is the secret behind most of your favorite Champagne bottles. This power couple is also used across the globe to produce other exotic sparkling wines.

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grape varieties are blended in varying ratios depending on the vintage, the wine style, and the preference of the winemaker.

Discover the delicious taste of Chardonnay Pinot Noir wines and six fine bottles that you can add to your collection. 

Also, explore the top Chardonnay Pinot Noir wine regions and how these two grape varieties are different.

Chardonnay Pinot Noir Wine: Styles, Taste, Food Pairings

Chardonnay Pinot Noir wines can be produced as Blanc (white) and rose sparkling wines.

Most of these sparkling wines are produced using the traditional “Methode Champenoise,” where the second fermentation occurs in the bottle.

Rose wines are produced by adding still red wine to white sparkling wine or through extended skin contact with the Pinot grape.

The Chardonnay grape adds texture and nutty flavor to the blend, while the Pinot Noir grape variety gives the wine red fruit notes. 

Chardonnay Pinot Noir sparkling wine has intense mineral aromas, a toasty taste, creamy texture, and good aging potential.

Sparkling roses have a stronger red fruit flavor.

Chardonnay Pinot Noir wines pair well with bay scallops, oysters, and Camembert cheese.

6 Delicious Chardonnay Pinot Noir Wines to Buy In 2024

Here are some must-try Chardonnay Pinot Noir wines.

1. 2002 Louis Roederer Cristal 'Gold Medallion' Orfevres Limited Edition Brut Millesime, Champagne, France ($4,238)

This sparkling wine has an exotic aroma of honey, cocoa, toasted hazelnuts, and candied citrus fruit. The palate showcases ripe fruit (primarily red fruit) notes.

2. 1996 Louis Roederer Cristal Vinotheque Edition Brut Millesime, Champagne, France ($1,435)

This sparkling wine has a fresh and lean bouquet of citrus and tropical fruit flavors. Aging in oak barrels gives the palate a beautiful elegance and complexity.

3. 1995 Bellavista Riserva Vittorio Moretti Extra Brut, Franciacorta DOCG, Italy ($339)

This intense Chardonnay Pinot Noir wine has a creamy texture with enchanting aromas of peach, apricot, and candied oranges. 

4. 2006 Fratelli Lunelli Ferrari 'Giulio Ferrari' Reserve of the Founder Rose Trentodoc, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy ($313)

This Italian wine has a complex aroma of strawberry fruit, citrus, and spice. The palate has rich caramel notes.

5. 2010 Soter Vineyards Mineral Springs Brut Rose ($91)

This Chardonnay Pinot Noir wine has sweet wizened apple, smoke, light pear, and ripe strawberry aromas.

6. 2010 Sugrue Pierre 'The Trouble With Dreams' Cuvee Brut, South Downs, England ($144)

The 2010 Sugrue Pierre has lemon, green apple, stone fruit, biscuit, and nut aromas. The palate is warm and elegant with vivid acidity.

Chardonnay Vs. Pinot Noir: Differences And Similarities

The red wine grape Pinot Noir and the white grape Chardonnay couldn’t be more different. 

Pinot Noir is a red wine grape that produces dry, light-to-medium-bodied wines with light tannin and dominant red fruit notes (like cherry.) Pinot Noir aged in oak wines have a complex earthiness with mushroom, tobacco, licorice, and clove aromas.

Chardonnay is a white wine grape that produces crisp and luscious wines with pear and honey notes. One of its finest wines is Blanc de Blanc Champagne.

Surprisingly, these two grapes are often grown close together, like in Oregon and Burgundy. 

That’s because both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape varieties prefer cool climates. It could be because Chardonnay results from a natural crossing between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc (an almost extinct white wine grape!)

Chardonnay Pinot Noir Wine Regions

Here are the most famous Chardonnay Pinot Noir wine regions.

A. France

The best Chardonnay Pinot Noir wines hail from the Champagne region of France - thanks to the region’s terroir. 

In Champagne, these grapes occupy most of the Grand Cru vineyard plots.

The vineyard sites are harvested early to maximize the acidity of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Champagne grapes.

Although many winemakers also add Pinot Meunier to the blend, many traditional Champagnes have these two exotic grapes in the blend. You may also find other white Champagne grapes like Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris in the blend.

This blend is also used in the Burgundy region in sparkling Cremant de Bourgogne wines.

These two grape varieties are also used to produce fine varietal wines in the Burgundy region. While Pinot Noir makes up 100% red varietal wines of the region, the Chardonnay grape makes 97% white varietal wines.

B. Italy

 In Italy, this popular blend is used in Franciacorta sparkling wines made from the traditional Champagne method. The winemaker performs malolactic fermentation in small oak barrels (primarily French oak) to give the wine a soft texture.

You’ll also occasionally find Pinot Blanc in the blend.

C. USA

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vine plantings are widely found in Anderson Valley, Sonoma County, Willamette Valley, and Washington in the US. 

D. Other Chardonnay Pinot Noir Wine Regions

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blended sparkling wines are also produced in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Add A Vintage Chardonnay Pinot Noir Wine To Your Collection

Chardonnay Pinot Noir blended wines are delicious, refined, and plain luxurious. Be it a high-end dinner or a bridal shower, you cannot go wrong with these brilliant sparklers.

Chardonnay Pinot Noir Champagnes also make great additions to your wine cellar.

Visit the Vinovest website to explore the world of fine wine investment and discover how to buy, store, and sell excellent wines like Cabernet Sauvignon from around the world.