Chardonnay

1
Chardonnay

• Originated in Burgundy, no one knows exact
  origin. There is a village in the Macon named
  Chardonnay, but it was probably named after the
  grape.
• Chardonnay is also known by the names Aubaine,
  Beaunois, Melon Blanc, and historically, Pinot
  Chardonnay.
• A CROSS BETWEEN PINOT AND A CROATIAN VARIETAL,
  GOUAIS BLANC.
• Did not take over Burgundy as large scale
  production until mid-19th century
• Adaptable in climate, soil, and methods of
  winemaking
• Can make good wine in cool or warm climate
  prefers cool
• Easy to Cultivate, can produce high yields
  without loosing quality
• The MAC of grapes Less susceptible to viruses
  and funguses
• Can be manipulated by the winemaker to produce
  different styles
• Characteristics E.F.G. EXPANSIVE, FRUITY
  GOLDEN
• Flavors Buttery, Creamy, Nutty, Smoky, Steely
• Fruits Appley, Lemon, Melon Pineapple
• Texture Lush, Full Bodied and Creamy
• Oak
• When aged in oak it adds rich note, creamier,
  longer finish more complexity
• Too much oak can be diffused, flabby and over the
  top chardonnay

2
Burgundy

• Champagne
• Brut Champagne can be made with Chardonnay,
  Pinot Meunier, And Pinot Noir
• Blanc de blanc 100 Chardonnay
• Tend to be light, and lively wines. Great for
  aperitif
• Chablis
• Very cold area 2 ways of fighting cold,
• 1. spray wines with Water to create an igloo
  effect
• 2. heat vines with oil heaters.
• Stone Basin From the Jura to Kimmeridge, England
  Chalky, clay, oyster fossils soilkimmeridge
  limestone.
• Many methods of aging use feullate (small
  barrels), barriques and Stainless steel.
• Characteristics Green-yellow sparkle, flinty
  nose, acidity and body, minerality
• Shellfish wine, a must with oysters, especially
  steel barrel fermented
• Cote de Nuits
• Known for reds PINOT NOIR

3

• Cote de Buene
• Reign of chardonnay
• ECO-WINES Domaine Leflaive led the pack on
  producing biodynamic wines
• Its all about the soil TERRIOR
• Other regions are producing young ready to drink
  wines, Burgundy produces wines to show the
  Terrior
• If we dont take care of the soil then there
  wont be any TERRIOR
• 2 GRAND CRUS Corton Montarchet
• Corton-Charlemagne in the Northern Buene
• Chalky soils with subsoil of volcanic origins
• Concentrated, mineral whites with rigid structure
• Montrachet (bare mountain) in the south
• Meager soil, limestone and ideal microclimates
• Flooded with light and allows Chardonnay to
  mature fully and evenly
• Puligny Montrachet Mineral, elegant wines, w/
  nerve and style
• Chassange-Montrachet Broader than Puligny
• Mersault Rich and smooth, pear quality, w/
  strong wood
• St. Aubin Fruity, elegant and nervy

4
California

• Chardonnay in California
• 1st brought to Cali by J.H. Drummond in 1880
• When it arrived in Livermore Wente took
  chardonnay to the next level. In 1938 it was the
  1st pinot chardonnay to receive acclaim.
• 1953 D Zellerbach planted Chardonnay in Hanzell
  Vineyards and fermented in small barrique
  barrels. He showed that a Burgundian style could
  be made in California. He inspired many
  winemakers to take on that style
• In 1976 Mike Grgich with Chateau Montelena won
  the Paris tasting and surged its popularity
• Chardonnay became the FAD, 1990 there was a total
  of 170,000 tons and in 1997 500,ooo tons were
  produced
• The best Chardonnays are made of clones from
  cooler climates
• There are about 1,000 producers of chardonnay the
  majority are clumsy, buttered toast and high
  alcohol
• ACIDS Fermentation
• Acid is measured by pH levels. Distilled water is
  a pH 7. Anything lower indicates acid.
  California wine runs at about pH 3.0-3.5.
• Addition of tartaric acid raises the pH levels
• Problem in early California history was the
  formation of acetic acid which would make wine
  taste like vinegar. This was solved by adding
  sulfur dioxide.
• There is a tendency for wine to take on a second
  fermentation where Malic acid turns into lactic
  acids. In the early days the process was not
  understood too well and many wines spoiled in the
  bottles.
• Malo-lactic Fermentation the addition of yeast
  to turn malic (tart) acids into lactic (soft)
  acids. Most popular in red wines to lower acid
  levels. In California became a trend to do with
  Chardonnay where it lowered the inherent fruit
  flavors of Chardonnay and create a more buttery
  and softer texture.

• Napa
• Cabernet Country but still make stellar
  Chardonnays
• Some of the best Chardonnays Chateau
  Montelena,Grgich Hills, Patz and Hall and Ramey
• Characteristics Appley, tropical, toasty vanilla
  tones, balanced acidity good depth
• Sonoma
• Some of the best Chardonnays come from Carneros,
  Russian River and Alexander valley
• Cooler climate region which allows the Chardonnay
  to show its acidity
• Some of the top producers are Kistler, Rochioli,
  Hanzel and Landmark
• Characteristics of citrus, apples, pears, muscat
  bright acidity
• Central Coast
• Most common appellations for Chardonnay are
  Monterey, chalone, and Santa Maria
• Cool climate and Limestone soils give Burgundy a
  run for its money
• Top Producers Morgan, Chalone vineyards, Mt.
  Eden, Byron, Talbot Mer Soliel
• Characteristics Green apple, pears, citrus and
  toasty notes

5
New Zealand Australia

• New Zealand
• Chardonnay was introduced into New Zealand in the
  1830s although the variety disappeared due to
  phylloxera later that century. Chardonnay
  re-appeared in commercial quantities in the early
  1970s
• Styles vary from intensely flavored, refreshing
  unwooded whites to more complex and richer
  Burgundian styles from oak barrels
• Cool and steady climate allows grapes to mature
  slowly and show off natural acidity
• Auckland and Northland, New Zealand's warmest
  regions, tend to make rich, ripe and
  broad-flavored Chardonnay
• Gisborne "Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand", are
  typically soft, lush and charming with ripe
  peach, melon and pineapple flavors.
• Hawkes Bay, the second largest producer of
  Chardonnay, has a wide range of soil structures
  and meso-climates that tend to make a very
  concentrated wine with peach and grapefruit
  flavors.
• Wellington region also has good concentration
  with a mix of citrus together with both orange
  and white-fleshed peach flavors.
• Nelson regularly makes fine, elegant Chardonnay
  styles, the best of which exhibit rich hazelnut
  and citrus flavors.
• Marlborough, the country's largest producer of
  Chardonnay, typically produces zesty wines with
  good acidity and strong white peach and
  grapefruit/citrus flavors.
• Canterbury makes a variety of styles, many of
  which have an impressive concentration of
  grapefruit flavors and crisp acidity.
• Central Otago produce fine examples of
  Chardonnay, many of which have an appealing
  flinty influence.
• Top Producers Cloudy Bay, Te Awa and Kumeu river
  
• Australia
• 1st Chardonnay was made in Hunters Valley by
  Tyrell in 1971 it was called Vat 47 Pinot
  Chardonnay
• Became a fad in Australia a 500 increase in
  Chardonnay production between 1986-1996.
• Grapes of Australia are grown un the coolest
  regions of a hot continent whereas in Europe
  they are grown in the cooler regions of a colder
  continent
• Warmer Climate makes full flavor of tropical
  fruit, rich and thick chardonnays

6

• The Great Chardonnay Showdown, held in the spring
  of 1980, was organized by the wine columnist for
  the Chicago Tribune newspaper with help from
  three Chicago wine stores.
• A total of 221 Chardonnays from around the world
  were selected for the blind wine competition.
• The winning wine was the Grigch Hills Sonoma
  County Chardonnay 1977, which was the new
  winery's very first vintage. It was declared the
  best Chardonnay in the world.

• Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 or the Judgment of
  Paris (a pun referring to a mythical contest).
• Hosted by English Wine merchant, Steven Spurrier,
  to show the superiority of French wine.
• A jury of 9 French renounced wine tasters
  conducted a blind tasting.
• 1  United States - Chateau Montelena 1973
• 2  France - Meursault Charmes Roulot 1973
• 3  United States - Chalone Vineyard 1974
• 4  United States - Spring Mountain Vineyard 1973
  
• 6  United States - Freemark Abbey Winery 1972
• 5  France - Beaune Clos des Mouches Joseph
  Drouhin 1973
• 7  France - Batard-Montrachet Ramonet-Prudhon
  1973
• 8  France - Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles
  Domaine Leflaive 1972
• 9  United States - Veedercrest Vineyards 1972
• 10  United States - David Bruce Winery 1973
• Contest was said to be rigged so that French
  would win, however results showed California
  ahead
• It was a monumental event, which showed that the
  French were not the only ones capable of
  producing great wines

7
Blind Tasting and Rating

• Color
• Is the color bright, golden, does it look like a
  chardonnay. Make notes of alcohol level
• Fruit Aromatics
• Is the fruit up front bright, is it
  apply/pear/tropical. Or is it masked by other
  aromas
• Secondary Aromatics
• Is there a sense of minerals, oak, herbs or
  flowers. Make note of alcohol and oak notes
• Taste fruit
• Does the palate match the fruit from nose, is it
  enhanced with other fruits or is it lost
• Texture
• Does the wine have weight, is it creamy, or lush,
  is it full body?
• Oak integration
• If there is oak, does it enhance the wine or does
  it dominate the wine, was the oak in the nose?
  Did it carry through into mouth? Is it
  noticeable, overwhelming or well integrated
• Acidity
• Is the acidity in balance with the fruit, or is
  overwhelming is it clean and mouthwatering or
  tart and vinegar-like
• Alcohol
• Is the alcohol sensed in the nose? Is it apparent
  in the mouth? If so does it leave the tongue with
  overwhelming heat or is it cooling and refreshing
  well integrated with the wine
• Finish
• Does the wine fill your palate and linger or does
  it die off rapidly
• Roundness (UNAMI)

8
Our Chardonnays by Appellation

• Oregon
• Argyle Williamatte Valley '04
• Washington
• Chateau Ste. Michelle "Indian Wells" Columbia
  Valley WA '05
• Australia
• Gold South Australia '06
• Wolf Blass"Gold Label" Adelaide Hills, AU '04
• New Zealand
• Cloudy Bay Marlborough New Zealand '05
• Burgundy
• Chablis Domaine Louis Moreau Burgundy '04
• Chassange-Montrachet Ramanet Burgundy '03
• Mersault-Blagny Louis Latour Burgundy '02/'03
• Pouilly-Fuisse Louis Latour Burgundy '04

• Napa
• Acacia Carneros '05
• Beringer Private Reserve Napa '04
• David Arthur Reserve Napa '99
• Far Niente Napa '03/04
• Franciscan Cuvee Sauvage Napa '04
• Grgich Hills Napa '03
• Groth Vineyards Napa '05
• Jarvis Unfiltered Napa '04
• Newton Unfiltered Napa '04
• Patz and Hall "Hyde Vineyard" Carneros/Napa '04
• Ramey "Hyde Vineyard" Carneros/Napa '04
• Stags' Leap Napa '05
• ZD California '05
• Sonoma
• Bannister Rochioli-Allen Russian River '03
• Belvedere Russian River '04