America loves Chardonnay. We drink more of it than of any other wine. We grow it in virtually every State that is planted to vinifera vines. We produce more of it than they do in France! In the words of Jancis Robinson, Britain’s Master of Wine, “In Chardonnay is one of the happiest combinations: the grower loves to grow it; the winemaker loves to make it; and we all love to drink it.” Some of us love Chardonnay’s that are aged in oak. Some love Chardonnay’s that are not aged in oak. Some love Chardonnay’s that are rich and full, some love Chardonnay’s that are clean and fresh, some love Chardonnay’s that have balance and finesse. Get the picture?
Great Chardonnay is consumed with the passion and reverence reserved for enjoying the finest red wines of the world. Great Chardonnay is not simply “white wine”… it is great wine that happens to be white. It is the white wine that can satisfy the red wine lovers’ craving for complexity in a wine.
The finest Chardonnay’s come from the Grand Cru Cotes de Beaune Vineyards in Burgundy, France. Only 2% of Burgundy’s vineyards are rated as Grand Cru, and of that number, less than 5% make white wine. In a mere half square mile between the Villages of Chassagne and Puligny are the historic vineyards of Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet and Criots-Batard Montrachet. Further to the North we find Corton Charlemagne.
Each of these wines are noted for the “layering” of flavours… green apple and tropical fruit touched with a nuttiness. Flavours that are balanced beautifully with soft oak and a minerality. These precious wines exhibit incredible strength and length, and yet retain a remarkable degree of finesse. They are also the most age worthy dry white wines made.
Outside of Beaune, Chardonnay receives its most unique expression in the Appellation of Chablis. The Chardonnay vines in this northernmost region of Burgundy are planted on the Kimmeridge Shelf, an outcropping of crushed pre-historic oyster shells that originates in Southern England, extends under the Channel to Chablis. The unique sub-soil gives Chablis its characteristic flinty quality, and makes their wines a perfect accompaniment to the briny taste of fresh shucked oysters and clams.
The prices for Grand Cru Burgundy, be it from the Beaune or from Chablis, are as expensive as the red wines from the Beaune or the Cotes de Nuits. However, for those who look for incredible value in White Burgundy, one only has to travel a little to the south to Maconnais and Chalonnais. The wines produced here are the true “insider” wines of Burgundy: Pouilly-Fuisse, Rully, Saint-Veran and Montagny make fabulous Chardonnays for a fraction of the price of the wines coming from the Beaune.
Yes, Chardonnay’s “mother tongue” is French; but its world wide success is based on the phenomenal wines that are produced in the other great wine producing regions of the world. The heartiness of the vine has allowed it to be planted in nearly every corner of the planet. It adapts well to all soil types and micro-climates… its only shortcoming is its vulnerability to spring frosts.
Before leaving Europe for a spin around the world, take a dip below the Austrian Alps to Italy’s Alto-Adige to enjoy wines that could easily be tasted against the best from Burgundy. Sometimes combined with other varietals, the Chardonnays and Chardonnay blends from this region hit all the essential notes. Balance, flavour, length and excellent aging potential.
For the whirlwind “Chardonnay World Tour”, the first stop is in America. Unquestionably, Napa, California has blazed the trail in the United States. 1976 turned out to be a watershed year for California wine. Mike Grgich, then winemaker for Napa’s Chateau Montalena, took his Chardonnay to Paris for a blind tasting against French Burgundies, and to the surprise of the world’s wine community, was awarded top prize by a group of stunned French judges. The “victory” put Mike Grgich on the map, it put Napa on the map, and it put “our” Chardonnays on the map.
The Russian River in Sonoma and the soft hills of Santa Barbara County have also been producing Chardonnays of considerable depth and roundness of flavour. A combination of hot days, countered by a precipitous drop in temperature at night, has enabled grape clusters to slowly accumulate their flavours over an extended ripening period. The resulting Chardonnays are the match for Chardonnays produced anywhere in the world.
Chardonnay’s success is also seen in the Southern Hemisphere. In South Africa, the first region of the world to get European vines, the Chardonnays of Stellenbosch possess lush tropical notes and boldness of the “new world” and a restraint of the “old world”. Sipping a beautifully hued South African Chardonnay, consumers can enjoy the “best of the both worlds” in the same glass.
The high dessert climate of Mendoza, Argentina produces excellent Chardonnays, proving that there is more to this prestigious locale than Malbec. Susana Balbo and Nicolas Catena each produce Chardonnays of amazing quality that is on par with their world renown reds.
And sometimes lost in a sea of Shiraz and Shiraz blends from South Eastern Australia are the mind blowing Chardonnays that come from the Margaret River in Western Australia. Exhibiting the strength and elegance that we associate with the best from Burgundy, these wines are a true treasure… if you can find them.
Whether you enjoy the massive robust oaked-styled Chardonnays, or the clean pristine versions that see no time in oak, or the unique mineral driven Chablis’ or the exceptional wines that offer fine balance between fruit, oak and mineral… this much is abundantly clear – if you love wine, somewhere you will find the Chardonnay that is for you.
And if you reach the Pearly Gates, and an angel hands you a glass of Batard-Montrachet while your paper work is being processed… just smile. You will know where you are.