The Cellar: 3 Great Chardonnays

The Cellar: 3 Great Chardonnays

Chardonnay is one of the world’s most widely planted white grape varietals and a favorite among American wine drinkers. As is the case with many other classic grapes, Chardonnay was first planted in France but is now grown all over the world, producing a wide range of wines from as far north as England to as far south as South Africa.

One of the reasons Chardonnay is so widely planted is because of its ability to grow in all types of climates; from the cool parts of northern Europe to the hottest parts of California’s Central Valley creating fruit flavors ranging from citrus to tropical. Forget everything you think you know about Chardonnay and join us as we explore some of the many expressions this versatile grape has to offer. 

2009 Domaine d’Elise Chablis

The classic region for Chardonnay is Burgundy. The region’s northernmost appellation is called Chablis and is famous for producing a style of Chardonnay that is widely unknown by the American consumer. Chablis are often lean,

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crisp, acidic and often minerality driven – a far cry from the creamy and full-bodied Californian versions you might be used to. If you have never had this style of cool-climate Chardonnay I recommend you try this week’s first wine as it is a great introduction to this style of Chardonnay.

Domaine d’Elise is a relatively young 13-hectre limited production vineyard overlooking the city of Chablis. Their 2009 Chablis has not seen any oak, but a few months of contact with the dead yeasts prior to bottling have rounded its edges and made for a smooth sipping experience. The fruit, minerality and acidity are the stars of this wine. It’s very well-balanced, not as steely and sometimes austere as Chablis can be. It is very approachable displaying ripe green fruit and citrus notes on a medium body. It finished long with stone fruit notes. (A-)

2008 Greg Norman Chardonnay, Eden Valley

Just north of Australia’s Adelaide Hills and situated in the rolling hills surrounding Barossa Valley, one will find the vineyards of Eden. Primarily considered a premium Riesling-producing region, Eden Valley has found that its

moderate climate is also well-suited for growing Chardonnay grapes, which is then made into Chardonnay ‘Australian style’. The result is an interesting cross between New and Old World Chardonnay.

In the 2008 Eden Valley Chardonnay, Greg Norman has produced a wine that is worth noticing. The lack of sun during the final stages of ripening and during the harvest comes through in this wine. On the nose there is an interesting play between minerality, citrus on one hand and pronounced oak on the other. It ends with refreshing and mouthwatering acidity, but with oak and kiwi flavors lingering in the background. (B)

2008 Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay

This week’s travels ends in California with a Chardonnay from one of best-selling producers in the US, the iconic Kendall-Jackson. All the grapes for the 2008 Grand Reserve are sourced from their own Monterey and Santa Barbara

vineyards. This wine has aged for 9 months in 25% new oak giving the wine pronounced oak flavors. In addition, this wine has been ‘sur lie aged’ meaning after fermentation, instead of just resting in the bottom of the barrel, the sediment of the dead yeast cells was stirred with the wine, twice monthly, to increase creaminess.

While it is hard to detect any other aromas on the nose than oak and spicy butter, this wine does start surprisingly fresh and bright, almost crisp-like with citrus quickly turning into nice tropical fruit flavors. I especially like the mid-palate where all the elements (oak, acidity and fruit) seem to come together nicely, but it ends very oaky – unbalanced and over the top. (B-)

Enjoy!

If you have any wine-related questions, comments or concerns feel free to contact Steffen Rasch by emailing [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook.