By Fowler W. Martin
Do you like a big, mouth-filling, toasty, buttery chardonnay with strong notes of creamy vanilla? If so, you can stop reading this article right here.
Vanilla butter-bombs have long been the staple chardonnay made in the U.S., or with the American market in mind, but that is starting to change. More U.S. producers are now offering lighter, crisper, more food-friendly chardonnays that emphasize fruit flavors as opposed to those associated primarily with new oak barrels. Minerality is also starting to be discussed to a greater degree, but if that is what one is looking for, chardonnay made in France remains a better choice.
This is a welcome trend, but one that requires more work on the part of consumers because unoaked or lightly oaked chardonnays vary in taste and characteristics to a far greater degree than their heavily-oaked cousins.
In addition, the question of whether one likes a soft, at least somewhat buttery chardonnay as opposed to a crisp, more acidic offering is separate from whether a wine contains flavors associated with new oak. This has to do with whether something called malolactic fermentation (MLF) is allowed to take place. If it happens, the resulting wine will be soft and buttery to varying degrees. If MLF is blocked, the resulting wine will generally taste more crisp and tart.
The following is a list of unoaked or lightly oaked chardonnays worth exploring. Prices are approximate and specific vintages aren’t mentioned. Use the index that runs down the left hand side of this blog to get reviews of specific, individual offerings by the wineries in question.
The First Tier -- “Affordable”
Four Vines “Naked” Chardonnay (about $12)
(This inexpensive California offering, fermented in stainless steel, features crisp, citric acidity and good fruit flavors.)
Joseph Drouhin Macon Village (about $13)
Joseph Drouhin St. Veran (about $16)
(These two widely available and very consistent offerings from France are a bit softer than the Four Vines chardonnay and somewhat more minerally. These are versatile wines and great to have on hand as a “house white” for day in, day out consumption.)
Desert Wind “Bare Naked” Chardonnay (about $15)
(This Washington State unoaked offering is rather soft in texture and at least in one particular year, was somewhat cantaloupe focused in terms of flavor.)
The Second Tier-- “Moving Upward”
Joel Gott "Monterey" Chardonnay (about $18)
(Unoaked and no MLF, but not overly tart. This nicely flavored California offering has been consistently good in recent years and offers excellent value for the price.)
LIOCO "Sonoma County" Chardonnay (about $18)
(Unoaked but MLF permitted for those who don’t want vanilla or other oaky flavors, but who prefer a soft, somewhat buttery wine. A California blend made of grapes grown in various vineyards.)
Balletto “Estate Bottled” Chardonnay (about $18)
(Fermented 25% in new oak and MLF permitted in 75% of the blend. A California wine that might appeal to consumers who want to move cautiously away from the traditional oaky, buttery style.)
Morgan "Metallico" Chardonnay (about $20)
(Unoaked, no MLF, but a bit softer than the Joel Gott. Also from California and an excellent starting point for exploring offerings of this nature.)
Chamisal “Stainless” Chardonnay (about $20)
(Unoaked, no MLF, clean, crisp and easy to drink. From California.)
Chehalem “Inox” Chardonnay (about $20)
(Unoaked, no MLF, exceptionally tart and assertive. This Oregon offering needs the right food. It’s excellent with citric flavored dishes such as lemon chicken, but some consumers may feel it is too acidic if served on its own or with bland fare.)
The Third Tier -- “Above $20 a bottle”
L'Ecole No. 41 Chardonnay (about $22)
(Very little new oak is used to make this interesting offering from Washington State. From time to time, it has featured unusually good minerality for a U.S.- made chardonnay.)
Ferrari-Caran0 “Alexander Valley” Chardonnay (about $25)
(This widely distributed, familiar California offering has in my experience been getting progressively less oaky and buttery as the years have gone by. Nice fruit flavors and good citric acidity at present.)
Sonoma-Cutrer "Sonoma Coast" Chardonnay (about $25)
(Lightly oaked, widely available, somewhat minerally in the French style. California.)
Morgan "Highland" Chardonnay (about $26)
(Another offering from Morgan, this one is 30% fermented in new oak and MLF is only partially permitted. Like the Balletto mentioned above, this pleasantly crisp wine is a vehicle for gradually moving away from oaky butter-bombs.)
Domaine Drouhin “Arthur” Chardonnay (about $30)
(A lightly oaked offering from Oregon that features good citric acidity, a bit of minerality and fruit flavors that become increasingly interesting and complex as the wine warms in the glass. This wine cellars exceptionally well, becoming softer and a bit more full-bodied over time.)
Brewer-Clifton “Sta. Rita Hills” Chardonnay (about $35)
(The winery’s “entry level” chardonnay blend, fermented without any new oak. Generally well balanced, nicely flavored and very versatile.)
Woodward Canyon "Washington State" Chardonnay ($35)
(Oaked, but not particularly toasty or buttery. Nice fruit flavors if somewhat expensive for what you get.)
Mer Soleil “Silver” Chardonnay (about $36)
(This is the relatively new, unoaked first cousin of the long-familiar, oaky-buttery Mer Soleil that appears with a gold label. MLF is permitted and the first vintage of the “Silver” was excessively buttery while devoid of oak-related flavors. Subsequent releases have been better balanced, but this is perhaps still a work in progress. Another California wine.)
Fourth Tier -- “Searching for Minerality”
(These wines are from France, where one generally must look when seeking good minerality. Be warned: there is considerably more variation from vintage to vintage in French wines than is the case in the U.S. These wines tend to be expensive so try before you buy if you can. If you can’t, buy a single bottle and see what you think before buying more. Get the most recent vintage and don’t try to cellar these wines for long: unattractive old-wine flavors can develop surprisingly quickly.)
Bourgogne Vézelay "Cuveé Henry de Vézelay" (about $18)
(An affordable white Burgundy that in good years offers excellent value for money.)
Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet "Clos du Chateau" (about $30)
(An “entry-level” wine from a very famous producer. It’s an excellent starting point for deciding whether to explore higher end white Burgundies, many of which cost far more than $30 a bottle. Expensive by U.S. standards, but actually something of a bargain. Varies from year to year, but at its best, it offers a convincing look into the appeal of good minerality in a chardonnay.)
Dauvissat Chablis (from about $30 a bottle on upward)
(A Chablis region producer of very attractive mineral-driven chardonnays that are fabulous at their best, but disappointing when vegetal or old-wine flavors creep in, especially given the price. Proceed cautiously and stick to very recent vintages unless you know exactly what you are doing and why.)
William Fevre Chablis (from about $30 on up)
(A producer of Chablis region chardonnays that are relatively widely distributed and thus easier to find than Dauvissat. Variations from vintage to vintage can be considerable, but a good starting point.)
Fifth Tier -- “American Exotics”
Brewer-Clifton single vineyard chardonnays (from about $50 on up)
(These wines, which see no new oak and which are all identically made to allow flavors associated with differing “terroir” to show through, are fascinating, but not always particularly versatile when it comes to accompanying food. If you think you know what chardonnay tastes like, you may be in for a very big surprise.)
LIOCO single vineyard chardonnays (from about $30 to about $45)
(Unoaked, but MLF generally permitted. Another group of “terrior-driven” offerings from California that gives consumers access to unusual and sometimes unexpected flavor profiles when it comes to U.S.-made chardonnay.)
Diatom single vineyard chardonnays (from about $40 on up)
(No new oak, MLF inhibited to one degree or another. Make by Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton fame and similar to the approach taken with the Brewer-Clifton single vineyard chardonnays mentioned above.)
Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay (about $50)
(A very lightly oaked wine made from grapes grown in an exceptionally challenging location on California’s Sonoma Coast. Relatively full bodied and soft, but with very interesting flavor complexity.)
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