Chardonnay is a green skinned grape variety used to make the highly popular Chardonnay white wine. The natural flavor of the Chardonnay grape is like a blank canvas which takes on flavor elements from the soil it is grown in as well as from the vessels that it is stored in. This makes it a versatile wine. Its flavors can range from green apple, vanilla, lemon and pineapple through to the smokiness and oakiness that it is famed for. Chardonnay compliments many foods, white meats like Chicken, turkey and pork go very well. White fish can also be paired with a Chardonnay but care should be taken not to use a too oaky wine with a delicate fish this should be reserved for use with smoked fish. You should steer clear of foods dark meats like beef and tuna fish whilst drinking a bottle sent from the best Chardonnay wine of the month club.
The Chardonnay grape variety originally comes from Eastern France, DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) testing now suggests that the variety evolved from two separate grape varieties that were introduced to each other during the Roman invasion of France (circa. 1st to 5th centuries AD). Due to Chardonnays ability to adapt to different conditions it is now grown wherever wine is produced. This adaptability has now ensured that Chardonnay one of the most extensively grown grape varieties throughout the world with over 400,000 acres worldwide. The only other grape variety with more acreage is the Airén grape.
Chardonnay is France’s second most widely planted grape variety. France has eleven wine-growing regions of which Burgundy ranks fourth largest in acreage (if you include Beaujolais). Traditionalists will claim that Burgundy is actually the first or second placed wine-producing region in France, if not the world. Mâconnais is an area in the far south of Burgundy to the west of the River Saône. Mâconnais produces almost exclusively Chardonnay wines which have traditionally been for everyday consumption, hence the fact that they produce three times more white wine as the rest of Burgundy, and have not had as higher public profile outside of France. The wine reviewed below comes from this area.
Over 100 grape varieties are grown in California. The Napa Valley is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays. To traditionalist white wine has long been considered the poor relation to the breathtaking depth that can be found in a glass of red wine however premium Chardonnays are now beginning to dispel this.
There are a vast amount of Chardonnay wine club bottles available from the dry still wine through to the very sweet late harvest wines. Many Californian wineries use malolactic fermentation to produce wines with a more buttery flavor, if they choose not to use this process then the wine produced will have a pineapple or fruity flavor. This abundance of fruitiness in New World Chardonnays from California is due to the fact that the weather is more reliably warm and therefore produces a more ripe fruit.
The Chardonnay grape is green with a thin skin. As mentioned earlier the fruit is a derivative of two grape varieties the Pinot and the Croatian Gouais Blanc (Weißer Henuisch). Neither grape variety that the Chardonnay descends from is grown today. That being said the Chardonnay grape itself is grown prolifically worldwide today. Oak casks can be used to age the Chardonnay, this is thought to impart that vanilla, spice, buttery flavor that is so distinct in Oaked Chardonnays. Unoaked Chardonnays are fermented in stainless steel containers, glass lined containers or old barrels and they are the Chardonnays that tend to have a crisper, more refreshing and more acidic flavor.
As a grape variety Chardonnay does not require blending with another grape variety in order to achieve a satisfactory wine. It can stand alone with its delightfully complex aromatics. It is the winemaker’s artistry and the region that the grape is grown in that provides the immense variety of flavors that is seen today in Chardonnay wines.
Chardonnay is very versatile with food and this is probably why it is so popular, there is almost a style for every occasion. You monthly Chardonnay wine club bottle should be served chilled (between 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). It compliments dishes that contain cheese, butter, seafood and many others because of this it is commonly seen on restaurant wine lists.
