NEW CHARDONNAY NEW RELEASES SHOW BETTER BALANCE
Chardonnay has had something like a 35-year run as America’s favorite white wine. I suspect its main attraction is that good wine is available in many styles and at many price levels.
With French Burgundy (namely the wines of the Cote d’Or) as the benchmark, most quality minded California producers have employed traditional Burgundian practices of barrel fermentation, malolactic fermentation (“malo” converts sharper malic acid to richer lactic acid) and barrel aging.
In the 80’s and 90’s, exaggerated use of those techniques, especially excessive use of new oak, became fashionable among many of those wineries. The resulting wines did gain popularity but eventually there was a backlash as consumers sought better balanced wines.
Most producers now use oak judiciously, to provide seasoning not dominate the wine’s character. Many still employ full malo to for texture and richness but many use only partial malo. Increasing numbers emulate France’s other Burgundy region, Chablis by limiting new oak or even eschewing oak or malo altogether. The intent is to allow more of the pure, fresh fruit to shine through. At the risk of oversimplification, I find it useful to think of Chardonnay in the context of these two primary styles.
Wines in the Cote d’Or Style are rich, lush and creamy, with toast or vanilla. The grape’s natural citrus fruit gives way to tropical, pear, or peach and sometimes melon or fig. The wines below use significant amounts of oak but they do so to great effect, deftly walking the line between richness and freshness.
If there is one winery and one wine most responsible for Chardonnay’s popularity in this country, it is Kendall-Jackson and the Vintner’s Reserve, which was introduced in 1982. The 2014 ($17) continues the tradition, while KJ has expanded its portfolio to include wines at a variety of price points and from a variety of regions. The 2013 Grand Reserve ($22) shows more richness; the 2014 Jackson Estate Santa Maria Valley ($28) and 2013 Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands ($30) display nicely why Santa Barbara is an increasingly important source of Chardonnay.
The state’s best known region, the Napa Valley, shines with grapes sourced from cooler vineyards in the foothills and in the southern part of the county near the town of Napa and in Carneros. The rich 2014 Chappellet Napa ($35), bright 2013 Artesa Estate Reserve ($35), luscious 2013 Duckhorn Napa Valley ($35), and complex 2013 Franciscan “Cuvee Sauvage” ($40) all merit attention.
Even more than Napa, Sonoma County, especially the cool climate regions of the Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast, has emerged as California’s premier Chardonnay producer. And Patz & Hall, a Chardonnay specialist, is one of the county’s most highly regarded producers. Particularly successful with its single vineyard bottlings, the full-bodied 2014 Dutton Ranch ($44) and especially the complex 2013 Zio Tony RRV ($65) impressed, while the pure 2014 Sonoma Coast ($40) is distinctive.
MacRostie also produced a fine 2014 Dutton Ranch ($46), while Matanzas Creek scored with 2013 Sonoma County ($26).
I was particularly impressed with the structured 2014 Sonoma-Loeb Sangiacomo Vineyard ($27) and 2014 Sonoma-Loeb Envoy ($38), a special selection of their best lots mostly from the Sangiacomo Vineyard. Great values.
Patz & Hall also submitted two fine Carneros-Napa Valley wines: the rich, yet fresh 2013 Hyde Vineyard ($60) and the luscious, complex 2014 Hudson Vineyard ($55), arguably the best wine of the tasting.
Lastly, the lively, fruitful 2013 Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard ($42) from the Santa Lucia Highlands is worth seeking out.
Now, what I call the “Chablis Style” is gaining popularity among increasing numbers of California producers. They emulate France’s other Burgundy region, Chablis by limiting new oak (in favor of used oak and stainless steel tanks) and malo, with some actually eschewing oak or malo altogether. The Chablis style emphasizes zesty, fresh, citrus fruits and crisp maybe green apple with a vigorous, lively texture. The intent is to allow more of the pure, fresh fruit to shine through.
The wines below use much less oak but still manage deftly walking the line between richness and. They are listed in my order of preference but all are recommended.
It’s definitely pricey but arguably the best wine of my tasting was the 2013 Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard ($60) from the prestigious Pinot Noir producer in Santa Barbara’s Santa Rita Hills. More than half of the barrels used were new but some of the wine was fermented in stainless steel to capture pure fruit flavors. I found it to have amazing depth with toasty richness and layers of fruit and texture.
Nearly as good at half the price, the 2014 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley ($30) is remarkable for its abundant stone and tropical fruits and lively structure. With 55% fermented in stainless and no malolactic fermentation, the quality fruit really shines through, even though 32% of the barrels used for aging were new.
Other very good wines at reasonable prices that split fermentation roughly equally between oak barrels and stainless steel tanks:
- 2014 Davis Bynum River West Vineyard ($25). Refreshing citrus, mineral notes, lush
- 2014 Rodney Strong Sonoma Coast ($25). Brisk citrus, caramel apple, sleek
- 2013 Miner Napa Valley ($30). Taut core of lime, tonic-like hints of mineral
- 2013 Clos du Val Napa ($28). Pear, quince, creamy elegance
- 2014 Jordan Russian River Valley ($32). Delicate, yet juicy pear and citrus
- 2013 Cherry Tart ($25). Bright citrus, sumptuous texture
Lucky for consumers, you can still find good quality at even lower prices. See are some good choices:
- 2013 Educated Guess ($17). Creamy lemon merengue, 60% stainless fermented
- 2013 Talbott “Kali Hart” Monterey ($20). Vibrant, pure apple and melon, 85% stainless fermented
- 2014 Complicated Sonoma Coast ($18). crisp, succulent citrus and tropical fruit
- 2014 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill ($22). energetic citrus but creamy, lush texture
- 2014 Kendall-Jackson “Avant” ($17). Zesty apple and lemon; 60% stainless fermented
- 2014 La Crema Monterey ($20) pineapple and spice, nicely fruity
- 2014 Chloe Sonoma County ($17) nice pear and tropical fruit, soft and round
Finally, since no construct applies 100% of the time, the following wines from Sonoma’s MacRostie Vineyards to my palate fall somewhere between the Cote d’Or Style and the Chablis Style. These wines are all barrel fermented and aged but with little new oak. The 2014 Russian River Valley ($32) uses the most at 21%, the 2014 Sangaicomo ($44) the least at 16%. My favorite of the group, the 2013 Wildcat Mountain ($40) from MacRostie’s estate vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, is in the middle with 18% new oak. It’s plenty rich, full-bodied and plush, while exhibiting a purity of orange, apple and peach fruit, finishing with a touch of spice.