Chardonnay (France)

Less ripe (cold climate) Chardonnays tend to be light bodied with crispy acidity:

Citrus. Lemon. Lime. Orange.
White Fruit. Green Apple. Pear. White Peach. Honeydew Melon.
Mineral.

More ripe (warm climate) Chardonnays tend to be medium to full bodied with high alcohol:

Citrus. Orange. Tangerine.
Yellow Fruit. Yellow Apple. Peach. Apricot.
Tropical Fruit. Melon. Pineapple. Banana. Mango.

Oak Aged Chardonnays tend to be full bodied with high alcohol:

Butter (Malolactic Fermentation). Vanilla. Toast. Nuts. Coconut. Wood.

Unoaked Chardonnay pairs best with:

Oysters. Shrimps. Scallops. Crab. Fish.
Chicken. Salads.

Creamy cheeses: Brie. Camembert. Chèvre.

Oaked Chardonnay pairs best with:

Anything with Creamy or Buttery Sauce.
Lobster or Salmon with Drawn Butter.
Pasta in Creamy Sauce. Risotto.
Lobster. Salmon. Tuna. Fish Cakes.
Chicken. Poultry. Pork.
Roasted Veggies. Pumpkin. Mushroom. Onion. Garlic.
Dried Fruit. Hazelnuts. Cashew. Pecans. Coconut.

Aged, salty, or nutty cheeses:
Cheddar. Comté. Gruyère. Manchego. Parmigiano. Pecorino.

About Chardonnay

Chardonnay is village in South Burgundy, and Chardonnay is the most popular white wine grape in the world.

Chardonnay is a grape with a limited (not very aromatic) taste. It produces neutral wines that need help to become interesting.

This can be done in several ways. One common way is to ferment or store the wine in oak barrels.

Chardonnay also easily absorbs the taste of the soil (terroir), and this is consciously used to complement Chardonnay's taste profile in Europe.

Quality Chardonnay wines always have a round character, a great length, and a rich after-taste, but Chardonnay shows a multitude of styles all over the world, from totally uninteresting, strong alcoholic wines with artificial fruit aromas, to the world's most sublime, perfect balanced wines.

In cool climates, Chardonnay can have a light body with noticeable acidity and flavors of citrus, green apple, and pear.

In warmer locations the flavors are more yellow apple, peach, melon, and tropical fruit such as pinapple and mango.

Chablis vs California

Chablis in France and California in USA are good examples of two very different expressions of the same grape.

Chablis is best known for producing excellent, fresh, and light wines with appealing apple and citrus aromas

California is best known for power, heavy oak, and tropical aromas.

People who like Californian Chardonnay with low acid and high alcohol, may say that a young Chablis is too acidic, and some people may say that they don't like the taste of Chardonnay, because they don't like the taste of oak.

Sparkling Chardonnay

Chardonnay is an important component of many sparkling wines, including French Champagne and Italian Franciacorta.

Why so Popular?

Chardonnay is popular for 3 important reasons:

• Easy to drink
• Easy to grow
• Easy to sell

Chardonnay wines have no sharp edges and no high acid content. The grape produces large crops and it is not picky about soil and climate. The fact that the wines are easy to sell, also contributes to the grape's popularity among the wine producers.

Chardonnay was born in France. Most famous on the light site is Chablis. More floral, milder and rounder, are the editions of Mâcon and Saint-Véran, while Mersault and Montrachet are identified as full bodied Chardonnays.

In France you often don`t find the name Chardonnay on the label of the bottle, but only the name of the region e.g. Chablis, Meursault, Montrachet, Pouilly-Fuissé.
You are supposed to know that wines from that region are made with Chardonnay grapes!

The reason why Burgundy is the most famous Chardonnay region is geology!
The area is a Jurassic age tidal pool, a prehistoric sea.
Many say that if you find seashells in the soil, you find them also in the wine.
Taste it and find the oceanic salinity!

Region: Burgundy, Champagne.

Burgundy Subregion: Chablis, Côte de Beaune, Maconnais.

Appelations Côte de Beaune: Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault, Corton-Charlemagne.

Appelation Maconnais: Macon Blanc, St. Veran, Pouilly-Fuissé.

Chardonnay is the most popular white wine grape in the world.

You can read more about the Chardonnay grape at Chardonnay Grapes.

You can read more about the world wide production of Chardonnay at Chardonnay Regions.

There are 2 types of Chardonnay glasses.

One for non-oaked (most of Chablis) and one for oaked (Meursault, Montrachet, most Americans) Chardonnay.

Unoaked Chardonnay (steel aged) is crispy, fruity and young.

The best choice is a smaller U shaped bowl that keeps the aromas inside, takes your nose closer to them and directs the wine in the middle of your mouth, avoiding the sides, where acidity is emphasized.
Unoaked Chardonnay is more acidic on the palate and using this tulip glass your tongue forms a U shape and naturally guides the wine right down the center.

The narrow rim helps also to tilt your head back which accelerates the speed of the wine hitting your tongue.

A smaller bowl helps to serve smaller quantities so the wine keeps a cooler temperature. Remember to hold your glass by the stem!

This wine glass is called Montrachet.
Ideal for oaked creamy, buttery and aged Chardonnay.
The larger bowl directs the wine to the sides and the back of your mouth.
This wide rimmed glass makes you lower your head, slows down the speed and extend the area where the wine hits.
This glass is perfect for full-bodied, oaked white wines such:

• Marsanne
• Meursault
• Oaked White Rioja
• Roussanne
• Sémillon
• Viognier