DIFFERENT CHARDONNAY STYLES OFFER ENJOYMENT FOR WARM WEATHER (AND ALL YEAR)
As temperatures warm, many of us begin to crave more white wines,rosés, and lighter red wines. Among the whites, Chardonnay continues its several decade run as the undisputed favorite of American consumers. I suspect its main attraction is that good wine is available in at many price levels.
Although its popularity has fluctuated at times, it remains the world’s most popular grape.Certainly, California data show chardonnay was the most popular variety grown in 2018, just edging out cabernet sauvignon.I suspect its main attraction is that good wine is available in many styles, at many price levels.
Here, I highlight two basic styles of California and Oregon Chardonnay that basically draw inspiration from Burgundy, the historical benchmark for Chardonnay. Since Burgundy is the historical benchmark for Chardonnay, I find it useful to look there for comparisons to two general styles.
What has been described as traditional practices of the Côte d’Or – use of mostly new oak barrels for fermentation and aging, malolactic fermentation (“malo” converts sharper malic acid to richer lactic acid) and aging on the lees– produce wines of lush texture with notes of cream, butter, toast, butterscotch or vanilla. The grape’s natural citrus fruit may be complimented with, pear, peach, melon, fig or tropical fruit.
With these characteristics, it’s not surprising Chardonnay has been such a success. For a while, though, some wineries took this style to extremes. Luckily, after a period in the 1980s-1990s producing unbalanced wines (and some backlash from consumers), in the 2000s, growers and winemakers rediscovered the importance of producing harmonious wines.
A focus on cooler climate vineyards (where early ripening chardonnay thrives) and more respect in the growing and handling of the fruit (earlier harvest and more judicious use of oak, lees, and malo) has led to an abundance of good wine at (mostly) reasonable prices. As a result, this may be the best time to drink Chardonnay in decades.
Most wines in my tastings followed a version of the Côte d’Or approach. The ones below (in order of my personal preference but all are recommended) deftly walked the line between opulence and freshness, pure fruit and richness,delivering complexity with oak influence more as seasoning.
Most impressive to me were three single vineyard wines of the 2017 Chappellet Grower Collection ($45): “El Novillero” Carneros – refreshing apricot and peach, honey toast, hazelnut; “Calesa” Petaluma Gap – rich, buttery apple and white fruits fresh herbs spice tangerine nutty; and “Sangiacomo” Carneros – pure, sharp apple, pear, buttery rich.
- 2016 Mi Sueno Carneros ($42) rich butter cream, caramel apple, ginger
- 2017 Calera Mt. Harlan ($50) complex, elegant, balanced
- 2016 Chalk Hill Estate Bottled ($42) floral, bright citrus, apple creamy caramel
- 2017 Migration Sonoma Coast ($40) floral vanilla, citrus, apricot, racy plush
- 2015 Long Meadow Ranch Anderson Valley ($39) intense lemon, lime, hint of stone
- 2016 Sea Smoke Sta. Rita Hills ($60) dramatic citrus, seamless, honeyed
- 2017 Frank Family Carneros ($38) invigorating pineapple, juicy tropical fruit
- 2015 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill ($22) creamy brown butter, peach, apple, rich, toasty
- 2016 MacRostie Wildcat Mountain ($46) peach, apple, pear, toasty, spicy, elegant
- 2017 Duckhorn Napa Valley ($36) apple butter, spicy herb, pineapple
- 2017 Dry Creek Vineyard “Estate Block 10” ($34) ripe orange, pear, broad texture
- 2017 Left Coast “Truffle Hill” Willamette Valley ($24) delightful orange, tangerine, cashew
- 2017 J. Lohr Arroyo Vista ($25) juicy, citrus, pineapple, lush, balanced
- 2017 McIntyre Santa Lucia Highlands ($28) focused citrus, firm texture
At the other end of the spectrum, some wineries emulate what can be described as the Chablis style. By limiting the use of oak, especially new oak (both in fermentation and aging) and restricting malo, the intent is to allow more of the pure fruit to shine through, yieldingwines that are fresh, lively and vigorous. This style tends to present a lightness of being, though still with textural interest, intense aromatics and firm backbone.
- 2017 Jordan Alexander Valley ($34) dramatic apple and citrus, light butterscotch
- 2017 MacRostie Sonoma Coast ($25) zesty stone fruits, lightly savory
- 2017 FEL Anderson Valley ($32) mixed citrus, juicy, vigorous
- 2017 Calera Central Coast ($25) intensely crisp citrus, nicely creamy
- 2017 Scheid Estate Grown Monterey ($26) pure citrus, appealing sweet/tart
- 2015 J. McClelland Napa Valley ($35) brisk apple, cream, light spice
Three wines in my tastings eschewed oak altogether. The juice for these “unoaked” wines was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. The 2018 Stoller Dundee Hills ($28) is a citrusy, peachy delight. The 2018 Chehalem “Inox” ($20) is focused and floral with peach and apple. The 2018 Kendall-Jackson “Avant” ($17) is pure, fresh and slightly sweet.
Note: Featured Image courtesy of Chappellet Vineyards