{"id":350,"date":"2009-07-14T13:11:43","date_gmt":"2009-07-14T17:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.summerofjim.com\/2009\/07\/14\/chardonnay\/"},"modified":"2009-07-14T13:11:43","modified_gmt":"2009-07-14T17:11:43","slug":"chardonnay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=350","title":{"rendered":"Chardonnay"},"content":{"rendered":"

America loves Chardonnay.\u00a0 We drink more of it than of any other wine.\u00a0 We grow it in virtually every State that is planted to vinifera <\/em>vines.\u00a0 We produce more of it than they do in France!\u00a0 In the words of Jancis Robinson, Britain\u2019s Master of Wine, \u201cIn 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.\u201d Some of us love Chardonnay\u2019s that are aged in oak.\u00a0 Some love Chardonnay\u2019s that are not <\/em>aged in oak.\u00a0 Some love Chardonnay\u2019s that are rich and full, some love Chardonnay\u2019s that are clean and fresh, some love Chardonnay\u2019s that have balance and finesse.\u00a0 Get the picture? <\/p>\n

Great Chardonnay is consumed with the passion and reverence reserved for enjoying the finest red wines of the world. Great Chardonnay is not simply \u201cwhite wine\u201d\u2026 it is great<\/em> wine<\/em> that happens to be white.\u00a0 It is the<\/em> white wine that can satisfy the red wine lovers\u2019 craving for complexity in a wine. <\/p>\n

The finest Chardonnay\u2019s come from the Grand Cru Cotes de Beaune<\/strong> Vineyards in Burgundy, France.\u00a0 Only 2% of Burgundy\u2019s 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.\u00a0 Further to the North we find Corton Charlemagne.<\/p>\n

Each of these wines are noted for the \u201clayering\u201d of flavours\u2026 green apple and tropical fruit touched with a nuttiness.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 They are also the most age worthy dry white wines made.<\/p>\n

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Outside of Beaune, Chardonnay receives its most unique expression in the Appellation of Chablis<\/strong>. The Chardonnay vines in this northernmost region of Burgundy are planted on the Kimmeridge Shelf<\/em>, an outcropping of crushed pre-historic oyster shells that originates in Southern England, extends under the Channel to Chablis.\u00a0 The unique sub-soil gives Chablis its characteristic flinty <\/em>quality, and makes their wines a perfect accompaniment to the briny taste of fresh shucked oysters and clams.<\/p>\n

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 <\/em>in White Burgundy, one only has to travel a little to the south to Maconnais and Chalonnais.\u00a0 The wines produced here are the true \u201cinsider\u201d wines of Burgundy: Pouilly-Fuisse<\/strong>, Rully<\/strong>, Saint-Veran<\/strong> and Montagny<\/strong> make fabulous Chardonnays for a fraction of the price of the wines coming from the Beaune.<\/p>\n

Yes, Chardonnay\u2019s \u201cmother tongue\u201d 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.\u00a0 The heartiness of the vine has allowed it to be planted in nearly every corner of the planet.\u00a0 It adapts well to all soil types and micro-climates\u2026 its only shortcoming is its vulnerability to spring frosts. <\/p>\n

Before leaving Europe for a spin around the world, take a dip below the Austrian Alps to Italy\u2019s Alto-Adige <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

For the whirlwind \u201cChardonnay World Tour\u201d, the first stop is in America. Unquestionably, Napa<\/strong>, California has blazed the trail in the United States.\u00a0 1976 turned out to be a watershed year for California wine.\u00a0 Mike Grgich, then winemaker for Napa\u2019s Chateau Montalena, took his Chardonnay to Paris for a blind tasting against French Burgundies, and to the surprise of the world\u2019s wine community, was awarded top prize by a group of stunned French judges.\u00a0 The \u201cvictory\u201d put Mike Grgich on the map, it put Napa on the map, and it put \u201cour\u201d Chardonnays on the map.<\/p>\n

The Russian<\/strong> <\/strong>River<\/strong> in Sonoma and the soft hills of Santa Barbara<\/strong> <\/strong>County<\/strong> have also been producing Chardonnays of considerable depth and roundness of flavour.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Chardonnay\u2019s success is also seen in the Southern Hemisphere. \u00a0In South Africa, the first region of the world to get European vines, the Chardonnays of Stellenbosch<\/strong> possess lush tropical notes and boldness of the \u201cnew world\u201d and<\/em> a restraint of the \u201cold world\u201d. Sipping a beautifully hued South African Chardonnay, consumers can enjoy the \u201cbest of the both worlds\u201d in the same glass.<\/p>\n

The high dessert climate of Mendoza<\/strong>, Argentina produces excellent Chardonnays, proving that there is more to this prestigious locale than Malbec.\u00a0 Susana Balbo and Nicolas Catena each produce Chardonnays of amazing quality that is on par with their world renown reds.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong> in Western Australia. Exhibiting the strength and elegance that we associate with the best from Burgundy, these wines are a true treasure\u2026 if you can find them<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 or the exceptional wines that offer fine balance between fruit, oak and mineral\u2026 this much is abundantly clear \u2013 if you love wine, somewhere you will find the Chardonnay that is for you.<\/p>\n

And if you reach the Pearly Gates,<\/em> and an angel hands you a glass of Batard-Montrachet<\/em> while your paper work is being processed\u2026 just smile.\u00a0 You will know where you are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

America loves Chardonnay.\u00a0 We drink more of it than of any other wine.\u00a0 We grow it in virtually every State that is planted to vinifera vines.\u00a0 We produce more of it than they do in France!\u00a0 In the words of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}