Another Wine Holiday! Or Two
The 21st of May was World Chardonnay Day, and the 22nd was International Chardonnay Day. International Chardonnay Day is always celebrated on the Thursday before the US Memorial Day weekend. I don’t know why. Plus, they’re seemingly interchangeable, depending on the location, winery, or alignment of the planets. Whatever.
Many years ago, in the fledgling era of my wine appreciation (post Boone’s Farm), I’d always order “white wine.” It was refreshing, didn’t hurt to drink (as red wine did at the time), and I was able to fancy myself as a kind of connoisseur. The downside? It was always the same.
And then one day I ordered a white wine, and when I tasted it, something shifted.
Bigly.
This white had body and texture. It was heavy in my mouth and had a bunch of flavors other than “white wine.” It had no resemblance to the acidulated citrus water I was used to drinking, and actually tasted like *something.* It was delicious.
At the time, I was out with friends and we were too busy yapping to pay attention to wine, although the few seconds of my being stunned apparently went unnoticed.
It was literally years before I repeated the experience. I wasn’t too much of a restaurant goer, and would only do Happy Hour with friends. Which meant that the bar grade of white wine was pretty standard at the time. I had been a bar manager, and I knew what the typical white wine brand was, but I couldn’t tell you if my life depended on it.
A few years and a divorce later, I decided to treat myself to a dinner out at a nice restaurant. Once again, I can’t remember which one it was. As usual, I ordered a white wine.
Note: Thanks to The Wineaux Guy™, I’d long since developed a love for red wines. But that’s a post for another day.
The glass of wine arrived with my food, and I took a sip.
Boom. That wine!
I called my server over and asked what the wine was.
“Chardonnay.”
And for those of you who are Chardonnay snobs out there, it was Rombauer. I loved it! So there. Taste, texture, butter, complexity, deliciousness. I was instantly hooked.
And, for what it’s worth, Rombauer Chardonnay and a bowl of butter-infused olive oil popcorn is the best snack for movie binging at home. The best!
At that time, every Chardonnay was butter and oak, which was fine with me. Chardonnay didn’t have the thin texture and one-note quality of the white wines I was drinking at the time.
Chardonnay: The Superstar Chameleon
Chardonnay is called the Chameleon wine. From lean and crisp to rich and creamy, Chardonnay can reveal many parts of its personality depending on where it’s grown and how it’s made. Chardonnay’s flavor will rollercoaster between cool climates and warm climates. And then there’s malolactic fermentation, which decides how much butter will be present on the palate. And no, that has nothing to do with actual butter. The difference is that cool climate Chards will be crisp, with good acidity and a bit of green apple. A warmer climate will reveal a more tropical personality in Chards, with notes of mango and sometimes pineapple on the tongue. Stainless steel winemaking will keep it crisp, and oak aging will throw butter, vanilla, and toast into the mix.
Chameleon. Like I said.
Chardonnay originated in Burgundy and is one of the region’s most famous wines. The other is Pinot Noir. While Aligote, Gamay, and Pinot Gris also make a presence, the two major grapes are Pinot and Chardonnay. They are also some of the most expensive wines in the world.
The Best Chardonnay
What constitutes the “best” Chardonnay is entirely subjective, of course. People are allowed to be wrong.
For me, the best Chardonnay is anything from one of the domains with the name “Puligny” or “Montrachet” on the label. While the Puligny-Montrachet wines I’ve had have been “cheap” (about $150-ish), there are many in the five-figure category, including one that’s about $24,000.
To be honest, I love California coastal Chards, including Santa Barbara, and all the way up to the Sonoma Coast. Having the advantage of a diurnal temperature range, the temperature changes seem to do something special to those Chards. Whether they’re made in stainless or well-oaked, there’s a special acidity, complexity, and mouth-filling flavor in the better labels. In my opinion, they also age better, giving still more texture and nuance to special vintages.
I‘m currently drinking a 2017 Patz & Hall Alder Springs Vineyard Chardonnay. I’m still holding on to a 2016 Grigich Hills. Good labels can age well in comparison to the buy-now-drink-now budgets.
One of the most prevalent fictions is that white wines can’t age. While that is true of low-acidity wines or “budget” wines, a few white wines can age. One of the most notable is Sauternes (Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon) which can age for decades. Other wines based on Chenin Blanc can age, and Rieslings are especially age-worthy. A couple of decades ago, I had the privilege of sharing a 30-year-old Riesling with a very generous wine lover. It looked like motor oil and tasted like heaven.
Very well-oaked budget Chardonnays generally don’t age well if at all. The acidity is usually lacking, and often the production methods are less than focused. The wines are, once again, buy now/drink now, and are fine for last-minute or casual consumption. I’ve certainly had my share through the years!
All of that being said, white Burgundies age well, as do many Chards in the New World, including the aforementioned California Coast.
With the notable exceptions of high-acid, sweet wines, “aging” a white wine rarely means for more than a decade. While excellent quality red wines can age for seemingly forever, there is generally a “use by” date for white wines.
Food Pairing
I’ve heard Chardonnay called the “red wine of white wines” because of its food pairing affinity. While I’d never have a Chard with a steak again (and I have. Not ideal), some foods generally thought of as red-wine friendly can pair well. For instance, I prefer Pinot Noir with Salmon or anything with mushrooms. Chard pairs well with those foods, too. In My Humble Opinion, while Chard pairs okay with well-buttered lobster, I feel it does much better with just about any poultry, and is particularly good with roasted fall vegetables. Surprisingly, I don’t like it with most fish, particularly halibut. Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino, and Pinot Grigio are wonderful light fish or seafood wines.
Price and Availability
Just like Chardonnay is a great chameleon with its different styles, it’s also a price chameleon as well. You can find a decent “daily drinker” at Trader Joe’s, Aldi’s, or your local supermarket for a few dollars, or you can forgo a few mortgage payments for a bottle of 2011 Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru for about $20,000, give or take.
Ouch.
The Gateway Wine
Other than those of us who began our wine journey drinking Boone’s Farm (Strawberry Hill was my favorite) Chardonnay is an ideal way to begin learning about wines. Because of its versatility, which varies significantly depending on its terroir and winemaking styles, Chardonnay offers enough diversity to allow anyone to learn about how even one grape can exhibit such a wide range of characteristics.
And in Conclusion
Although I missed the two Chardonnay holidays, I hope this makes up for it.
