The Brands and Regions of Chardonnay Wine
One of the noble grape varieties most well-known to the public is Chardonnay. Its true home is in Burgundy, France, where it produces the famous Chablis wine, which is known for its excellent steely freshness and Kimmeridgian limestone soil.
The Chardonnay vine produces outstanding wines in the Côte d'Or, including those from the Mersault region of the Côte de Beaune and the Chassagne-Montrachet appellation. The Côte Chalonnaise is located south of here. This is where Rully, Mercurey, and Montagny's AC are located. These wines, which are less well-known than the one from a little farther north, have a beautiful soft, nutty flavor and creaminess from the careful use of old oak in their making.
Chardonnay is not solely grown in the Burgundy region, though. Additionally, it is one of the three grapes that can be used to manufacture champagne. Chardonnay is the only white grape that can be combined and bottled in this renowned region, along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Champagne that is prepared only from Chardonnay is referred to as a Blanc de Blancs in the region where the grape is grown on the large chalk hills. This grape is so well-known that the region where it is primarily cultivated is referred to as the Côte des Blancs.
Further south, Chardonnay can also be found; here, its excellent steely taste evolves into something more mellow, rich, and rounded, becoming the fat, oaky, buttery companion that many people associate it with. Often, its richness can be diminished and more fruit flavor added by carefully mixing it with grape varietals like Viognier or Marsanne.
But these nations do not have exclusive rights to Chardonnay. Chardonnay is often planted everywhere grapes are grown. To the Somontano in Spain, it travels from the hills of Sussex and Surrey, where it is a component of English Sparkling Wine. Italy produces Chardonnay, frequently in the Piedmont region of the country, but they also cultivate other native white grapes including Fiano, Verdicchio, and Glera.
The New World nations are where Chardonnay is most frequently found. South Hemisphere nations like Argentina, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand.
California, where there may sometimes be an abundance of flabby over-oaked Chardonnay wines, is another place where the grape is firmly associated. This is true to such an extent that it inspired the movement known as ABC, or Anything But Chardonnay. However, specimens from Napa, Sonoma, and even further south, like Santa Barbara, are incredibly full-bodied and rounded. Examples of legendary wines are Au Bon Climat's Wild Boy and, farther north, Sonoma's Landmark Chardonnay.
From the northern valleys of Aconcagua and Casablanca, to the Central Valley districts of Colchagua and Cachapol, via the Maule Valley, and on down to Bio Bio, chardonnay is grown the whole length of Chile. Here, it appears in a variety of forms, from the rounded, buttery variants created with wild yeast and let to naturally ferment to the more restrained Burgundian variants.
Even though Chardonnay is frequently grown in excess in the Western Cape region of South Africa, it thrives most in the country's colder coastal regions. The Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc compete to be the preeminent white grape from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley through the more traditional districts of Paarl and Stellenbosch.
Australian Chardonnay is arguably one of the associations that come to mind the most readily. The traditional Australian oak examples use oak staves or chips that are added to the tanks to create a rich, strongly oaked look. These are vastly different from some of the pricier and slimmer options. Cooler areas like the Yarra Valley, Tasmania, and the Adelaide region produce excellent examples that can hold their own against their Burgundian counterparts.
Chardonnay from Margaret River and Great Southern in Western Australia can withstand the sweltering summer heat and serve as beautifully restrained examples of delicacy.
For details information, watch the video of This Day in Wine History.