You may think you know Chardonnay… it’s that rich, oaky, buttery wine from California…right? Well it is much more than that. Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular and prolific white wine grapes. In fact this varietal is planted in more places around the world than any other grape variety…red or white.
It’s origins are believed to have begun in the Burgundy region of France some time in the middle ages. The name “Chardonnay” is derived from a village in Burgundy by the same name and the first mention of the grape was written by monks around the year 1330. These same monks are believed to be the ones who spread the grape throughout France.
Burgundy, of course, is still the mecca of Chardonnay in the white wine world. This region produces elegant wines that are aged in French oak, which is lighter and less pungent than the American variety used extensively here. Burgundies can often further age in the bottle for years, creating a mellow, honeylike color and richness. Some of the more famous regions in burgundy, such as Puligny Montrachet or Mersault can be quite pricey, but many bargains are also available.
Chardonnay is also used extensively in the production of Champagne. Originally a rival winemaking region to Burgundy, sparkling versions of the wine were first discovered by accident during the 1600’s when during shipping warm weather set off a secondary fermentation causing carbon dioxide to form. A few decades later, a monk named Dom Perignon perfected a method to purposely induce CO2…thus officially marking the beginning of Champagne’s transformation to exclusively producing sparkling wines.
Chardonnay wasn’t widely planted here in the U.S. until the 1930’s. It took another four decades for the wine to become popular. In the 1970’s Americans started liking the heavier style of California Chardonnays, partially caused by the heavier American oak used for aging.
California producers also incorporated a process known as Malolactic Fermentation, or Malo for short. This is a second fermentation where a special bacteria is added to the wine and begins to breakdown the crisp, tart Malic acid in the wine, chemically changing it to the creamier lactic acid (the same as in milk products). The final product has that well known buttered popcorn flavor. This style is also popular amongst other new world winemaking regions like Australia, Argentina and South Africa as well. Older regions like France have generally steered away from this or have substantially lessened the amount it is used.
Take away the oak and the manipulation though and you can be quite surprised. The grape itself is surprisingly neutral in taste. Instead of imparting it’s own flavors, Chardonnay takes on flavors from outside sources, not unlike Tofu in the food world. The typical oak aging often introduces vanilla and woody flavors to the wine, while the wonderful wines of Chablis, which are famously un-oaked, in the northern outskirts of Burgundy are known for their chalky, steely, mineral-like flavors associated with the limestone soil of the region.
The grape can be such a chameleon that sometimes it is virtually impossible to tell that a wine is made from the varietal. Macari Vineyards on long Island makes a wine called Early Wine. It is made from estate grown Chardonnay grapes, yet the way they make it in stainless steel tanks with no oak aging and no Malolactic fermentation creates an almost Riesling-like wine, with crisp Granny Smith apple flavors…almost like a sour-apple candy but without the sweetness.
So even if you have a preconceived notion on how Chardonnay should taste, realize that there are many different styles of the same grape that have developed over hundreds of years. While one style may not suit you another may turn out to be a favorite.
So taste Chardonnay for the very first time…again.
It’s origins are believed to have begun in the Burgundy region of France some time in the middle ages. The name “Chardonnay” is derived from a village in Burgundy by the same name and the first mention of the grape was written by monks around the year 1330. These same monks are believed to be the ones who spread the grape throughout France.
Burgundy, of course, is still the mecca of Chardonnay in the white wine world. This region produces elegant wines that are aged in French oak, which is lighter and less pungent than the American variety used extensively here. Burgundies can often further age in the bottle for years, creating a mellow, honeylike color and richness. Some of the more famous regions in burgundy, such as Puligny Montrachet or Mersault can be quite pricey, but many bargains are also available.
Chardonnay is also used extensively in the production of Champagne. Originally a rival winemaking region to Burgundy, sparkling versions of the wine were first discovered by accident during the 1600’s when during shipping warm weather set off a secondary fermentation causing carbon dioxide to form. A few decades later, a monk named Dom Perignon perfected a method to purposely induce CO2…thus officially marking the beginning of Champagne’s transformation to exclusively producing sparkling wines.
Chardonnay wasn’t widely planted here in the U.S. until the 1930’s. It took another four decades for the wine to become popular. In the 1970’s Americans started liking the heavier style of California Chardonnays, partially caused by the heavier American oak used for aging.
California producers also incorporated a process known as Malolactic Fermentation, or Malo for short. This is a second fermentation where a special bacteria is added to the wine and begins to breakdown the crisp, tart Malic acid in the wine, chemically changing it to the creamier lactic acid (the same as in milk products). The final product has that well known buttered popcorn flavor. This style is also popular amongst other new world winemaking regions like Australia, Argentina and South Africa as well. Older regions like France have generally steered away from this or have substantially lessened the amount it is used.
Take away the oak and the manipulation though and you can be quite surprised. The grape itself is surprisingly neutral in taste. Instead of imparting it’s own flavors, Chardonnay takes on flavors from outside sources, not unlike Tofu in the food world. The typical oak aging often introduces vanilla and woody flavors to the wine, while the wonderful wines of Chablis, which are famously un-oaked, in the northern outskirts of Burgundy are known for their chalky, steely, mineral-like flavors associated with the limestone soil of the region.
The grape can be such a chameleon that sometimes it is virtually impossible to tell that a wine is made from the varietal. Macari Vineyards on long Island makes a wine called Early Wine. It is made from estate grown Chardonnay grapes, yet the way they make it in stainless steel tanks with no oak aging and no Malolactic fermentation creates an almost Riesling-like wine, with crisp Granny Smith apple flavors…almost like a sour-apple candy but without the sweetness.
So even if you have a preconceived notion on how Chardonnay should taste, realize that there are many different styles of the same grape that have developed over hundreds of years. While one style may not suit you another may turn out to be a favorite.
So taste Chardonnay for the very first time…again.