Chardonnay
Chardonnay seems to be the preferred white wine of the world. In almost every wine producing nation on the planet one can find the Chardonnay vine being cultivated. It is native to the Burgundy region in France, but because of its versatility and resilient nature, as well as commercial viability, every region in Italy has examples of Chardonnay being produced. Like many other international grapes, it is believed that this vine began showing up in vineyards after the phylloxera epidemic towards the turn of the 20th Century as a change from many of the unknown indigenous varietals. Tuscany, of course, has its quality examples to add to the market as well. It is very interesting because just like all over the world the Chardonnays being produced in Tuscany are really a window into the climate with which it derives from. Think about the difference from a Chablis, in the far north stretches of the Burgundy region, and how crisp and refreshing and highly acidic and precise these wines are. Now consider a Chardonnay from Mersault further to the south in Burgundy. These wines have a much different climate and soil-terroir in fact- and also have different general production methods. The wines produced are much richer and more full bodied, creamy and rounded with much a much different fruit profile. The same phenomenon can be cited in Tuscany, and it is this characteristic that indeed makes Chardonnay so interesting. Growers in the high altitude cool climates of Chianti Classico are having much different results than those growing the vine in the Maremma. There are two styles to Chardonnay and they really define the flavor profile of the grape. The first is more the Chablis-style, where freshness and acidity are preserved by not allowing maleolactic fermentation to begin and to keep the wines aging confined to cold temperature stainless steel tanks. With this style more of the green apple and citrus notes are preserved and one gets more the essence of cool weather minerality notes on a dry crisp acidic finish. The second style is in the opposite school of thought, to put the juice into barrels to ferment on the lees (sediments from the crushing of the grapes) and to go through with maleolactic fermentation so as to convert the tart acids to the creamier acids. It is this process which gives these wines the more full bodied mouth feel and the resulting flavors of butterscotch, cream, and toasty nutty qualities. The fruits will be riper as well, more the yellow apples and exotic tropical fruits like pineapple for example. Most bottles will not tell which method has been chosen, the back label description is always a good place to check, and so one should really know the style of the house producing the wine and what direction they prefer for their Chardonnay. A good test, but not always true, is the price tag. Often the more expensive the Chardonnay, the more oak influence it has seen. But this is by no means a truth, as there are very many expensive bottles of Chardonnay from around the world that have more of the fresh crisp style in mind. Try a quality representation of both styles and figure out for yourself which is more preferred.
Chardonnay seems to be the preferred white wine of the world. In almost every wine producing nation on the planet one can find the Chardonnay vine being cultivated. It is native to the Burgundy region in France, but because of its versatility and resilient nature, as well as commercial viability, every region in Italy has examples of Chardonnay being produced. Like many other international grapes, it is believed that this vine began showing up in vineyards after the phylloxera epidemic towards the turn of the 20th Century as a change from many of the unknown indigenous varietals. Tuscany, of course, has its quality examples to add to the market as well. It is very interesting because just like all over the world the Chardonnays being produced in Tuscany are really a window into the climate with which it derives from. Think about the difference from a Chablis, in the far north stretches of the Burgundy region, and how crisp and refreshing and highly acidic and precise these wines are. Now consider a Chardonnay from Mersault further to the south in Burgundy. These wines have a much different climate and soil-terroir in fact- and also have different general production methods. The wines produced are much richer and more full bodied, creamy and rounded with much a much different fruit profile. The same phenomenon can be cited in Tuscany, and it is this characteristic that indeed makes Chardonnay so interesting. Growers in the high altitude cool climates of Chianti Classico are having much different results than those growing the vine in the Maremma. There are two styles to Chardonnay and they really define the flavor profile of the grape. The first is more the Chablis-style, where freshness and acidity are preserved by not allowing maleolactic fermentation to begin and to keep the wines aging confined to cold temperature stainless steel tanks. With this style more of the green apple and citrus notes are preserved and one gets more the essence of cool weather minerality notes on a dry crisp acidic finish. The second style is in the opposite school of thought, to put the juice into barrels to ferment on the lees (sediments from the crushing of the grapes) and to go through with maleolactic fermentation so as to convert the tart acids to the creamier acids. It is this process which gives these wines the more full bodied mouth feel and the resulting flavors of butterscotch, cream, and toasty nutty qualities. The fruits will be riper as well, more the yellow apples and exotic tropical fruits like pineapple for example. Most bottles will not tell which method has been chosen, the back label description is always a good place to check, and so one should really know the style of the house producing the wine and what direction they prefer for their Chardonnay. A good test, but not always true, is the price tag. Often the more expensive the Chardonnay, the more oak influence it has seen. But this is by no means a truth, as there are very many expensive bottles of Chardonnay from around the world that have more of the fresh crisp style in mind. Try a quality representation of both styles and figure out for yourself which is more preferred.
Chardonnay seems to be the preferred white wine of the world. In almost every wine producing nation on the planet one can find the Chardonnay vine being cultivated. It is native to the Burgundy region in France, but because of its versatility and resilient nature, as well as commercial viability, every region in Italy has examples of Chardonnay being produced. Like many other international grapes, it is believed that this vine began showing up in vineyards after the phylloxera epidemic towards the turn of the 20th Century as a change from many of the unknown indigenous varietals. Tuscany, of course, has its quality examples to add to the market as well. It is very interesting because just like all over the world the Chardonnays being produced in Tuscany are really a window into the climate with which it derives from. Think about the difference from a Chablis, in the far north stretches of the Burgundy region, and how crisp and refreshing and highly acidic and precise these wines are. Now consider a Chardonnay from Mersault further to the south in Burgundy. These wines have a much different climate and soil-terroir in fact- and also have different general production methods. The wines produced are much richer and more full bodied, creamy and rounded with much a much different fruit profile. The same phenomenon can be cited in Tuscany, and it is this characteristic that indeed makes Chardonnay so interesting. Growers in the high altitude cool climates of Chianti Classico are having much different results than those growing the vine in the Maremma. There are two styles to Chardonnay and they really define the flavor profile of the grape. The first is more the Chablis-style, where freshness and acidity are preserved by not allowing maleolactic fermentation to begin and to keep the wines aging confined to cold temperature stainless steel tanks. With this style more of the green apple and citrus notes are preserved and one gets more the essence of cool weather minerality notes on a dry crisp acidic finish. The second style is in the opposite school of thought, to put the juice into barrels to ferment on the lees (sediments from the crushing of the grapes) and to go through with maleolactic fermentation so as to convert the tart acids to the creamier acids. It is this process which gives these wines the more full bodied mouth feel and the resulting flavors of butterscotch, cream, and toasty nutty qualities. The fruits will be riper as well, more the yellow apples and exotic tropical fruits like pineapple for example. Most bottles will not tell which method has been chosen, the back label description is always a good place to check, and so one should really know the style of the house producing the wine and what direction they prefer for their Chardonnay. A good test, but not always true, is the price tag. Often the more expensive the Chardonnay, the more oak influence it has seen. But this is by no means a truth, as there are very many expensive bottles of Chardonnay from around the world that have more of the fresh crisp style in mind. Try a quality representation of both styles and figure out for yourself which is more preferred.
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