Varietals - Chardonnay
Chardonnay
With the sole exception of Spain’s low-quality Airén grape, Chardonnay is the world’s most widely planted white wine grape variety. It grows almost everywhere, but like Pinot Noir, reaches it’s fullest expression in Burgundy, Chablis, and a few favorable locations in California.
Chardonnay is an ancient grape. Chardonnay plantings in Chablis are known to have existed in the 12th century. It’s often confused with Pinot Blanc, whose wines bear a strong resemblance. By the 19th century it was established that there is no genetic relationship between Chardonnay and any member of the Pinot family but California winemakers insisted on marketing it under the name Pinot Chardonnay as late as the 1960s. Recent DNA fingerprinting at the University of California at Davis has found that Chardonnay’s parentage is a cross between Pinot Blanc (surprise!) and an ancient Balkan grape brought to France by the Romans called Gouais Blanc.
Chardonnay lends itself to a wide variety of styles; so much so that it’s impossible to offer any universal set of characteristics. When fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks Chardonnay is a bright, fresh wine with prominent acidity. When fermented in oak barrels it becomes richer and softer. If put through the malolactic process which converts the hard malic acid to softer lactic acid Chardonnay takes on a fat texture that is widely marketed as “buttery.” Different types of oak have profoundly varying effects on Chardonnay’s aromatics and flavor profile. Most of the characteristics we associate with Chardonnay are actually products of oak: crème brulée, cream, smoke, vanilla, spice, coconut. The fruit components of Chardonnay’s aroma and flavor are largely a product of where it’s grown. In Chablis it takes on a green apple character in addition to its celebrated flintiness. In Burgundy’s Côte d’Or Chardonnay becomes fleshier and rounder. The best examples of Chardonnay from California are works of art and are fuller, richer, and higher in alcohol.
What to look for in Chardonnay
If the Chardonnay is aged in stainless steel – bright, fresh, acidity
If the Chardonnay is aged in oak – richer, fuller, softer, buttery
If the Chardonnay is from Chablis – bright, fresh, green apples, flinty
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