Anything But Chardonnay! Did Everyone Forget? Geez!

Ah, human nature. We all love the winners, yet we seem to revel in the fall from their pedestals as well. Schadenfreude, I suspect. But why pick on a poor defenseless grape? Perhaps the ‘Anything But Chardonnay’ campaign came about because Chardonnay had become so popular that people began asking for their white wine generically as a Chardonnay instead of its previous American generic moniker of ‘Chablis?’ So, just how popular is Chardonnay in the US? According to AC Nielsen, Chardonnay accounts for over 22% of the dollars that we spend in the entire wine category. 22% may not seem to be a dominant number, yet for imported white wines Chardonnay represents 32.8%. This number would be higher if it wasn’t for Pinot Grigio. For domestically produced white wine, Chardonnay’s percentage jumps to 64.7% for an import/domestic average of 50.6% in dollars of all white wine consumed in the US. These numbers even include the ubiquitous and enthralling ‘White Zinfandel.’ Apparently wine consumers have not yet received the ‘Anything But’ memo?

With Chardonnay arguably the most popular variety in the world, many of the people who love it still find its taste difficult to describe and what exactly it is that they like about it. Chardonnay runs the gambit from producing top notch white Burgundies from the commune of Montrachet to mass-produced, million liter tanks of plonk. Perhaps one of the most overworked expressions about Chardonnay is that it is ‘the artist’s palate?’ More than any other grape variety, Chardonnay tends to express winemaking techniques every bit as much as its expresses its terroir. Many different winemaking options are available to show off Chardonnay’s versatility. Winemaking decisions to be considered are whether to crush the grapes or to whole-cluster press them, using indigenous or cultured yeasts, malo-lactic fermentation or no malo, to perform battonage, to age sur lie, to stainless steel or barrel ferment, and to age in oak (French or American) barrels, staves or chips, or to remain un-wooded.

Let me hit you with some knowledge: The latest DNA research shows that Chardonnay is the result of a chance crossing between a member of the Pinot family and an obscure, humble variety called Gouais Blanc in France and Weisser Hünisch in Germany.



One of the many places Chardonnay plays a pivotal role is in the production of top-quality sparkling wine, particularly in Champagne. Most champagne is blended with Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, however Blanc de Blancs Champagne is made exclusively from Chardonnay. A fabulous Blanc de Blancs Champagne to try is the biodynamically grown Champagne Tarlant ‘Cuvee La Vigne d’Antan’ from the Marne Valley in Champagne. This cuvee is produced from 100% Chardonnay from ungrafted vines averaging 43 years in age. Wine making techniques used here are oak barrel fermentation, lees stirring, no malo and was kept in barrel for 6 months. It is silky, creamy, elegant and very complex. Look for it to arrive to the WW stores in December.


Champagne Tarlant ‘Cuvee La Vigne d’Antan’ Retail $59.99 Warehouse $49.99


The one wine region where Chardonnay is not overtly oaked by its many top producers is Chablis. Chablis has a cool climate with its latitude being almost as far north as Champagne while possessing the same type of limestone soil. Chablis wines tend to have much higher acidity and are lighter in body than those made on the Côte de Beaune, which is further south. We have some traditionally styled Premier and Grand Cru versions from Droin. The Droin family has been in Chablis since at least 1547. Jean-Paul Droin took over the Estate in 1983. Fermentation is done in tank and barrel, battonage and malo conversion are practiced. The characters here are direct, mineral and citrus. These wines seem almost chalky in character with a nice zingy green edge. The Montee de Tonnere (mountain of thunder) is the only Premier Cru on the Grand Cru slope. Droin Chablis ‘Vaillons’ PC 2004, Retail $28.99 Warehouse $21.99
Droin Chablis ‘Montee de Tonnere’ PC 2004, Retail $34.99 Warehouse $24.99
Droin Chablis ‘Vaudesir’ GC 2004, Retail $54.99 Warehouse $44.99

A few other Chardonnays that originate from further south in Burgundy:
Aubert de Villaine Bourgogne Blanc ‘Clous’ 2004, Retail $24.99 Warehouse $19.99
Robert Denogent Macon Solutre 2004, Retail $24.99 Warehouse $19.99

Aubert de Villaine is the proprietor of the Domaine de la Romanee Conti of which he is a partner, but has his own domaine further south just south of Beaune. De Villaine is farmed organically and has white wines that show beautiful restraint and minerality. This is the opposite of the wines of Robert Denogent. These Chardonnays come from further south still in the Macon region of Burgundy. These are powerful old world Chardonnays that make one stand up and take notice. Denogent’s Pouilly Fuisses are as serious as you get from the Macon. These Pouillys remind me of Meursault Premier Crus. The Macon Solutre is made in the same style but happen to be around half the price of the Pouillys. Denogent’s whites have power, viscosity, are bursting with fruits but have a minerality on the finish that brings one back to the old world.

NEW WORLD STYLES: California with its many meso and macro climates has the ability to produce a myriad of Chardonnay styles and qualities. There are many favorites to experiment with in our stores. Here are a few suggestions:

Wild Horse Chardonnay is produced from grapes grown in California’s Central Coast. The grapes were hand-harvested, whole cluster pressed, initial fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks with fermentation to be finished in oak barrels. Malo was encouraged on the must from its cooler climates to reduce acids and enhance mouthfeel. Battonage was practiced every other week on the sur lie aging. The wine is supple and stylish, with pear, lemon, floral and nicely integrated toasty oak nuances.

Wild Horse Chardonnay 2004, Retail $15.99 Warehouse $10.99

Calamity Chardonnay from Carneros in the Napa Valley has been a real favorite at the WW. Whole bunches were hand-picked at night to preserve its freshness and delivered cool and healthy to the winery. Whole cluster pressing which is a gentle process of separating the juice from its skins, helps to avoid the bitter tannins that might otherwise be extracted. The free-run juice was drained to French oak barrels where it remained until assemblage and bottling some 10 months later. No yeasts are added to the new juice the complexity and individuality provided by the indigenous, or "wild" yeasts that convert the sugar to alcohol. The secondary fermentation (malo), converting the hard malic acid to the softer lactic, is completed by a cultured bacteria imported from Burgundy. To broaden the palate and mouth-feel of the wine battonage was employed, a technique that involves stirring the yeast lees in each barrel on a regular basis. By keeping the lees in suspension the wine's pure fruit character is guarded against oxidation and the wine seems to put on some weight, or "fatness," as well as being less astringent and sharp. The wine was fined but not filtered. This Chardonnay is intense with flavors of ripe pears, peaches and appley fruit with spicy oak flavors that offer a measure of depth and complexity. The finish is crisp, clean and refreshing and ends with a touch of spice.

Calamity ‘Napa’ Chardonnay 2004, Retail $21.99 Warehouse $14.99 (check out our buy three and get one deal here)

Rutherford Hill is known for its Merlot but also produces a serious Chardonnay. Rutherford Hill Chardonnay was made by using cultured yeasts that they feel lead to healthier fermentations which allow Sur lie aging until the first racking 9 months after harvest. Battonage, occurred twice a month for extra body and complexity. No malo with oak aging The Wine Spectator seemed to like it: A lean, focused style with spicy pear, green apple and lemon meringue touches, with a flinty edge, finishing with lively acidity, a burst of citrus flavors and a dash of toasty oak. Drink now through 2007 90 pts

Rutherford Hill ‘Napa Valley’ Chardonnay 2002, Retail $18.99 Warehouse $14.99

Other ‘New World’ Chardonnays:

Australian Chardonnay is often associated with overt tropical fruit characters. Australian winemakers are proficient at producing Chardonnay bargains as they were the first to use oak chips to infuse inexpensive wines with some oak flavors to go with Chardonnay’s tropical fruit character. Bulletin Place has always been one of our favorite cheap and cheerful Aussie Chardonnays. For a more serious, cool climate version of Chardonnay from Australia one must take a serious look at Cape Mentelle’s Margaret River Chardonnay from 2003. Cape Mentelle’s techniques are two-fold with one lot machine harvested, crushed, must-chilled and pressed to stainless steel tanks for cold settling prior to racking off gross lees to another tank for inoculation with prise de mousse yeast Two to three days later the fermenting juice was racked to French oak barrels, nearly half of which were new and the remainder one and two years old. Another lot was elevated as whole bunches into a tank press where the juice was gently pressed into a holding tank. The juice was racked into barrel the following day for fermentation by indigenous yeast. Occasional battonage is carried out during the time in barrel.

Cape Mentelle 2003, Smooth, silky and subtle. Rich in flavor, but it feels refined as the peppery, ripe apple, pear and grapefruit flavors play themselves out, picking up welcome mineral notes as the finish lingers. Drink now through 2011. only 475 cases imported 91 pts Wine Spectator

Cape Mentelle Chardonnay 2003, Retail $24.99 Warehouse $19.99

Bulletin Place Chardonnay 2004, Retail $7.99 Warehouse $4.99

Chardonnay had been the most planted grape in New Zealand, but has now been overtaken by Sauvignon Blanc. This is a smart move considering the unique character and popularity of NZ SB. This is no slight on NZ Chardonnay. The clean, green and fresh apple character often come through on NZ Chardonnay. For a nice unwooded version of Chardonnay, you may want to try the Villa Maria Private Bin?

Villa Maria Unoaked ‘Private Bin’ Chardonnay ‘Hawkes Bay’ 2005, Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99

Certainly there are Chardonnays from other countries that are worth trying. A few faves are Hamilton Russell and Neil Ellis from South Africa, Montes and Veramonte from Chile and Famiglia Bianchi from Argentina.

Tally ho! Off to tonight’s Beaujolais Nouveau tasting at the Wine Warehouse…………….