The Chardonnay Grape

(Synonyms: Aubaine, Auvernat, Auxerrois, Auxois, Beaunois, Chaudenay, Clävner, Clevner, Gamay Blanc, Luisant, Melon à Queue Rouge, Melon D’Arbois, Obaideh, Pinot Blanc Chardonnay, Pinot Chardonnay, Wais Edler, Waiser Clevner)

Background

Chardonnay is a white-wine grape originating in the Burgundy region of France, but now grown practically everywhere in the world where wine grapes can be grown at all. It is more widely planted than any other white-wine grape except the low-grade Airén of Spain. It is probably the foremost white in popularity, having soared to a dominant role in the 1980s to become, for novice wine drinkers, virtually a synonym for “white wine”. It is widely considered one of the dozen and a half or so “Noble wine grapes” of the world, and was one of the three white-wine grapes on the original short list.

While Chardonnay certainly can and often does produce some of the world’s finest wines, its stupendous popularity inevitably brought a tidal wave of inexpensive plonk, which severly dampened the grape’s reputation. That, and its eclipsing of many excellent but less-well-known regional wines—as planters adapted to the world market by tearing out such less-known grapes and replanting in chardonny—produced in the mid-1990s, a distinct backlash against the grape, sometimes called the “ABC Movement” (Anything But Chardonnay). Chardonnay today retains a very strong position, but no longer so completely dominates white wine.

American wine drinkers are generally familiar with the Burgundian style of Chardonnay, which also dominates most New World vinification of the grape: put through malolactic fermentation (which produces distinctly buttery overtones and a fruity quality) and heavily (not a few think excessively) oaked. Much less familiar in the New World is the Chablis style (it is arguable that most casual wine drinkers are unaware that “Chablis” is 100% Chardonnay), typically without malolactic or oak, which produces a wine that emphasizes minerality, a vaguely citrus quality, and a sense of “leanness”. (The Mâcon region also produces many unoaked Chardonnays, many at value prices.)

In either of those two styles, Chardonnay is well capable of producing magnificent and distinctive wine. But the two are so different that one must almost think of them as two separate wines. Chardonnay grapes are actually surprisingly neutral in flavor, and acquire most of their characteristics from the vinification process; they are said to also be especially good at transmitting terroir, a distinctive taste derived from the soil and climate in which they grew. As you will see from some of the descriptions below, though there are general styles, in truth Chardonnay wines can be pretty much anything the vintner wants to make them as.

Factoid: half a century ago, when Chardonny was rising in renown, it was commonly known in the U.S. as “Pinot chardonnay”.

Some Descriptions of Chardonnay Wines

Wikipedia
“In addition to being the most expensive, the Burgundy examples of Chardonnay were long considered the benchmark standard of expressing terroir through Chardonnay. The Montrachets are noted for their high alcohol levels, often above 13%, as well as deep concentration of flavors. The vineyards around Chassagne-Montrachet tend to have a characteristic hazelnut aroma to them while those of Puligny-Montrachet have more steely flavors. Both grand cru and premier cru examples from Corton-Charlemagne have been known to demonstrate marzipan while Meursault wines tend to be the most round and buttery examples…The full-bodied wines of the Pouilly-Fuissé have long held cult wine status with prices that can rival the Grand cru white burgundies…With the exception of Pouilly-Fuissé, the wines of the Mâconnais are the closest Burgundy example to ‘New World’ Chardonnay though it is not identical…Hazelnut, licorice and spice are some of the flavors that can develop as these wines age…Chablis winemakers want to emphasis the terroir of the calcareous soil and cooler climate that help maintain high acidity. The wines rarely will go through malolactic fermentation or be exposed to oak (though its use is increasing). The biting, green apple-like acidity is a trademark of Chablis and can be noticeable in the bouquet. The acidity can mellow with age and Chablis are some of the longest living examples of Chardonnay. Some examples of Chablis can have an earthy ‘wet stone’ flavor that can get mustier as it ages before mellowing into delicate honeyed notes. The use of oak is controversial in the Chablis community with some winemakers dismissing it as counter to the ‘Chablis style’ or terroir while other embrace its use though not to the length that would characterized a ‘New World’ Chardonnay. The winemakers that do use oak tend to favor more neutral oak that doesn’t impart the vanilla characteristic associated with American oak. The amount of ‘char’ in the barrel is often very light which limits the amount of ‘toastiness’ that is perceived in the wine. The advocates of oak in Chablis point to the positive benefits of allowing limited oxygenation with the wine through the permeable oak barrels. This can have the effect of softening the wine and make the generally austere and acidic Chablis more approachable at a younger age.”
Wine 101, Food & Wine
“Burgundies are powerful and rich, with complex fruit flavors and notes of earth and minerals. More affordable Chardonnays from Burgundy—for instance, those simply labeled Bourgogne Blanc—are crisp and lively, with apple and lemon flavors. Chardonnays from America, Australia and Chile tend to be ripe and full-bodied, even buttery, with higher alcohol levels and vanilla notes from oak aging.”
Jancis Robinson
“The truly thrilling thing about Chardonnay grown on the Côte d’Or is that here, as nowhere else, it can express a sense of place, even if winemaking – which for top-quality Chardonnay produced anywhere almost invariably includes fermentation and maturation in different sorts of oak barrels; a second, softening malolactic fermentation; and different levels of stirring, or ‘batonnage’, of the lees at the bottom of the barrel – inevitably superimposes itself too. Oak can be tasted in the form of a certain toastiness, char – or even vanilla flavours in the case of American rather than the more normal French oak favoured by Burgundian wine producers…The distinctions between the wines of the famous white wine villages can therefore easily be blurred by the different winemaking regimes of different producers, but stereotypically Meursault is buttery, Puligny-Montrachet is steely and creamy, while next door Chassagne-Montrachet can be slightly nuttier and more textured…The one wine region where Chardonnay is not routinely oaked by its most ambitious practitioners is Chablis in the far north of Burgundy, almost as far north as Champagne. And Chablis is a widely misunderstood wine as a result of all this. Because of its latitude, Chablis does not easily ripen the Chardonnay on which it exclusively depends. The wines are much higher in acidity and lighter in body than those made on the Côte d’Or to the south. Oak and malolactic fermentation are exceptional and – partly as a result – Chablis can age superbly. It invariably tastes ‘green’ somehow when it’s young, very sappy and refreshing. It then typically goes through a rather awkward adolescent stage where it can take on some odd wet wool odours and then, in glorious maturity at about 10 to 15 years old, it is an extraordinarily appetising drink reminiscent of wet stones and oatmeal.”
Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast
“On the Côte de Beaune, from Corton-Charlemagne to Chassagne-Montrachet, including Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, each village and vineyard brings a different character. Corton-Charlemagne has weight, solemnity. Meursault has opulence, richness. Chassagne-Montrachet is calm, mineral, often honeyed. Puligny-Montrachet is, simply, the best, producing wines from its grand cru vineyards that age for 20, 30, 40 years—often with prices to match…Chablis is certainly the purest expression of the grape. The cool climate allows acidity to bring a crispness and steely character to even the ripest Grand Cru wine.”
Time to Wine
“The majority of chardonnays on the market are fermented in oak with the un-oaked chardonnay being the exception. Because of this, when people think ‘CHARDONNAY’ they think spicy, smokey, vanilla, and butterscotch. This isn’t the grape they are tasting though, it is the oak in which chardonnay is typically fermented. An unoaked chardonnay has little in common with the often overly oaked Chardonnay. A quality crafted un-oaked chardonnay will boast deliciously fruity flavors ranging from apple and melon in the colder growing regions to luscious tropical fruit flavors such as pineapple in the warmer climates.”
The French Scout
“Typical taste of the different types of chardonnay: voluptuous. Chardonnay wines are often wider-bodied (and more velvety) than other types of dry whites, with rich citrus (lemon, grapefruit) flavors. Fermenting in new oak barrels adds a buttery tone (vanilla, toast, coconut, toffee). Tasting a $20 Californian Chardonnay should give citrus fruit flavors, hints of melon, vanilla, some toasty character and some creaminess. Burgundy whites can taste very different.”
Bill St. John, The Chicago Tribune
“Chablis is 100 percent chardonnay, grown on clay and limestone that is riddled with chunks of blazing white chalk, which are fossilized marine shells and a signpost of a famed vineyard soil known as the Kimmeridgian. Many feel that the ‘chalky note’ in both the aroma and taste of Chablis derives from this soil. In any case, it is unique to Chablis. Unique especially in the sense that other chardonnay-based wines made elsewhere in Burgundy differ from Chablis as yes does from no – in other words, they are substantially different, and furthermore they differ from one another. Chablis is not Puligny-Montrachet, which is not Chassagne-Montrachet, nor Macon, nor Rully and so on. All 100 percent chardonnay, all related by grape alone, each a singular personality. Thus the claim, in Burgundy, that terroir trumps technique. You always know where a well-made Burgundian chardonnay comes from because the terroir will tell you.”
Fred Tasker, The Miami Herald
“Chardonnay always has been a chameleon grape – changing character readily by climate, ripeness and fermenting technique. In California’s cool, foggy Russian River Valley it turns crisp and intensely fruity; in warmer climes it can be creamy and lush, spicy and caramel scented. Aging in oak barrels can give it vanilla flavors; a secondary ‘malolactic’ fermentation can soften its acids and create complex and creamy texture and buttery flavors. Aging in stainless steel tanks, without oak exposure, on the other hand, can create crisp, purely fruity wines.”
wine.com blog
“Chardonnay is an interesting grape because on its own, it’s not that interesting. Chardonnay is a chameleon of a grape, meaning that the way it tastes truly reflects where it is grown and choices made by the winemaker. Winemakers often enjoy the variety because it’s a sturdy grape; it has reliably high ripeness and it responds well to a variety of winemaking techniques, so much so, that it’s hard to make a blanket statement that you love or hate Chardonnay. You just have not tasted enough of them. For instance, in the cool-climate, chalky soils of Chablis, Chardonnay never sees new oak and the resulting wines are crisp, clean and mineral-driven, with high acidity and virtually no buttery tones to note. Take a Napa Valley Chardonnay and you’ll have a warm climate and heavier oak use, producing a wine that showcases ripe, rich fruits and vanilla and toast characteristics from the oak. Not to say one is better than another, but there are some stark stylistic differences when it comes to Chardonnay.”

Some Chardonnays to Try

The idea of making a list of actually decent or better Chards each reasonably available at $20 or under may seem like a crazy fool’s errand, but we persevered—and it took a lot of perseverence!—and were able to come up with what we think are sound candidates meeting our criteria. (We even found some “splurge” wines actually priced at less than the GNP of a small nation.)

Because Chardonnay produces such diverse wines, we have tried to at least distinguish between oaked and unoaked samples. It was, unsurprisingly, rather easier to fill out the “oaked” list, becaue Chablis and Chablis-like wines are thoroughly fashionable and thus thoroughly expensive if any good (and, too often, even when not too good).

Oaked Chardonnays

For a Splurge

Unoaked Chardonnays

For a Splurge

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