Chardonnay is a versatile grape. In cold regions it shows crisp acidity and flavours of green hay with the flinty notes typical of the terroir - the wine even has a green tinge. Chardonnay wines taste very different when the vines are grown in hot climates such as those in the plains of California. The conditions ensure ripe grapes, which lead to high levels of alcohol in the wine, and rich flavours of peach, melon, citrus and tropical fruits. In the 1980s and 1990s many New World winemakers responded to these bold flavours with equally bold use of oak, ageing the wine for long periods in new oak barrels. The cheap way to add "oakiness" would be the addition of staves or wood chips to wine in stainless steel containers. The intention was to impart complexity to the wines by introducing desirable aromas of vanilla, caramel, and butteriness. Too often the result tasted like chewing on a piece of wood, and this led to something of a consumer backlash against heavy, oaky Chardonnays.

In North America Chardonnay is mostly grown in California and Oregon, but is found in many of the states and Ontario. US winemakers tend to prefer an oaky, buttery style with full malolactic fermentation, but there are many exceptions to that rule.

Chardonnay became very fashionable in the 1990s, as the stereotypical drink of young urban women of the Bridget Jones generation. But as vineyards responded with massive new plantings of the variety, they found that fashions were changing again. The market was drinking more red wine, and as mentioned above there was a backlash against heavy, oaky, New World Chardonnays in favour of lighter wines such as Pinot Grigio.

Rich is the word that best both describes Chardonnay and explains its popularity. Its aroma is distinct, yet delicate, difficult to characterize, easier to recognize. It often smells like apples, lemons, peaches or tropical fruits. Its delicacy is such that even a small percentage of another varietal blended into a Chardonnay will often completely dominate its aroma and flavor. Oak commonly takes over Chardonnay if the wine is fermented or aged in new barrels or for too long in seasoned ones.

This delicacy also allows Chardonnay to absorb the influences of both vinification technique and appellation of origin. California Chardonnay is every bit as variable and possibly even more exciting than those from France because of the effusive varietal quality it develops there. In spite of this variety in style, Chardonnay is unmistakable in the mouth because of its impeccable sugar/acid balance, its full body, and its easy smoothness.

The widespread popularity of varietally-labeled Chardonnay wines spurred many new California plantings in the early 1970s. The most commonly planted clone was the "Wente" clone (UCD 2A) and, later, clone 108, isolated at UC Davis from vines grown in Carneros. Due to this grape's blank canvas nature and the proliferation of new vineyard sources using essentially only two clones, regional variations in Chardonnay wines became more apparent than perhaps in any other varietal wine in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In the 1990s, California vintners began paying much more attention to matching, not only varieties but also clones, to specific microclimates and vineyard sites. Many new vineyards and re-plantings since then, especially in cooler regions, have propogated the "Dijon" clones (particularly 75, 76, 78, 95 and 96), the "Espiguette" clone (352) or, in fewer locations, "Champagne" clones.

The nominees for Best Supporting Appellation in a California Chardonnay are: Russian River Valley, shared by Sonoma and Mendocino Counties (apples, pears & peaches); Carneros, shared by Sonoma and Napa Counties (flinty); Monterey County (citric, lemony); Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County (pineapple, tropical); Edna Valley, San Luis Obispo County (apricot, fleshy).

Challenges and difficulties in growing Chardonnay and higher production costs from barrel treatments, combined with increasing popular demand over the past decades, contribute to making chardonnay-based wines one of the most expensive on the shelf or winelist.

Submitted by:
Mike Richardson
Lifestyle Information And Resources