Although white wines have lost favor to red wines over the last few decades, they still have their place behind a bar or on restaurant wine lists or your wine fridge. As summer approaches, warm or even sweltering weather begs for chilled drinks and there’s no white wine grape more widely planted or in greater demand by patrons than Chardonnay. That’s not to say all Chardonnay’s are created equal or that if you find one Chardonnay you like you’ll also like all others.
Why?
In its most unadulterated form Chardonnay will exhibit most noticeably the aroma and crisp acidity of tart green apples. In the Burgundy region of France, well made Chardonnay also is noted for having a wet stone/mineral tinge to the taste attributed to the calcium rich soil that permeated the area. In New World regions as far-flung as California, Australia, Argentina and Israel there are many examples of how different terroirs and wine makers can influence this chameleon of a grape.
By putting Chardonnay wines through malolactic fermentation. a secondary fermentation process, the prevalent tart malic acid present in wine turns to a creamier fuller body lactic acid. There’s a trade-off in gaining body and a sensation of butter in exchange for fruitiness or that is lost or overshadowed and the crisp acidity some crave in white wines is muted. Some also claim the distinction or subtlety of terroir will be overshadowed by malolactic fermentation, any or excessive oak influences or sur lie aging.
Aging Chardonnay in oak barrels can add body, complexity, smokiness, body and often vanilla to a wine. It also allows through subtle oxidation a younger wine to soften or become “rounder” and presumably more approachable. When aged, Chardonnay will be oak aged typically for much shorter time than most red wines. Six months of aging seems typical with a range of three to twelve months. American oak will tend to impart more vanilla and French barrels or older more neutral barrels will be used when trying to lessen that affectation.
Sur lie is aging a wine with the lees or the residue of yeast remaining after yeast expired in the primary sugar to alcohol fermentation process. This process can add color, clarity, complexity and soften oak when used but with or without oak makes for a “fresher,” nuttier and sometimes yeasty tasting wine if left on to excessively or intentionally in the case of many sparkling wines. And many great sparkling wines are only Chardonnay or Champagne style sparkling wines blended mostly with the red Pinot Noir.
These three winemaker tools have helped Chardonnay earn the name of being “the winemaker’s grape” and making Chardonnay is seen by many as a rite of passage for a winemaker. Of course, these three winemaking practices also result in different styles that a drinker may embrace or abhor.
For the last twenty or thirty years, there was a trend for many New World (non-European) winemakers to make their Chardonnay “butter bombs” and surely some remain and prosper. After malolactic fermentation and American oak aging, the wines may have resembled to some more like buttered popcorn or vanilla ice cream than a glass of French Chablis.
There’s been a backlash of sorts with many white wine drinkers demanding “ABC,” Anything But Chardonnay, so many winemakers have adapted by making more Old World style, terroir driven Chardonnays or have reduced or eliminated the influence of oak or malo conversions.
With this in mind, when you find a style of Chardonnay you like, make note of what you liked and inquire what the winemaker was doing and you should better be able to find more Chardonnays to please your palette.
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