A Sip of Chardonnay

Chardonnay, Chablis, Bourgogne or Montrachet. Whatever you call it, they refer to the same wine but then again, maybe not. One thing’s for sure, Chardonnay is the undisputed King of white wine, the most noble white grape in the world. To some, Chardonnay taste of butter and hazelnut but to others, it taste of tropical fruits. The difference can be attribute to the region where the grape is grown as well as the method of making the wine.


In general, Chardonnay made in the cooler climate tends toward apple or lemon flavours while those made in the warmer climate would have tropical flavours like pineapples and peaches. The winemaking methods would then contribute to the wine’s flavours of oak, butter or sweetness. Let’s focus on Chardonnays in three different countries.

AUSTRALIA (New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia).
Color: Pale to straw yellow

Taste :Rich, dry with medium acidity. Usually has a rich apple-like taste with toasty oak. In some wines, it is buttery with vanilla bouquet.

Notes :California Chardonnays, like their Australian counterparts, are usually full bodied, fruity and rich. Almost all California Chardonnays are oaked, resulting in flavours of vanilla and spices. They are also typically have higher alcohol content, a result of using very ripe grapes.

Producers :Some popular wines producers available here include Fetzer, Forest Glen, Kendall Jackson, Robert Mondavi, Sebastiani, Wente, Gallo, Ravenswood, Shafer, Simi and Stag’s Leap. Unfortunately, not much good wines end up here.

Wines:Recommended wines available here are:
- Simi Vineyard, Chardonnay, 1996
- Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley Reserve, 1994
- Cakebread, Napa Valley, 1996

FRANCE (Burgundy)

Color : Straw yellow with a hint of green

Taste : Buttery with hints of oak, nuts or apples. Usually full bodied, medium acidity, rich with a long lingering aftertaste. The really good ones has a creamy texture with complex aromas and flavours.

Notes: Some say the greatest Chardonnays are from Burgundy. There are four main district in Burgundy that produces Chardonnays. They are : Chablis, Cote d’Or, Cote Chalonnaise and Macon. However, when people refer to white Burgundy wines, they usually refer to wines from Cote d’Or (or rather, Cote de Beaune, a sub-district of Cote d’Or). Of course, the name Chablis by itself has become a popular wine name. The section below will focus more on Chablis and Cote de Beaune.

Producers:None in particular.

Chablis (Northern Burgundy)

Color: Pale yellow with greenish tint.
Taste: Dry, mildly oaked with a flinty bouquet. Crisp acidity with apple like flavours.

Notes : Chablis has become such a popular wine name that many other producers from other countries have a special “Chablis” wine under its name. But real Chablis is from Burgundy and there are four main categories : Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Chablis and Petit Chablis. There are only 7 grand cru vineyards : Blanchots, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Les Preuses, Valmur and Vaudesir. There are also 40 over Premier Cru vineyards.

Producers :To drink Chablis, stick to the Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines. Popular producers here are Domaine Laroche, J Moreay et Fils, Louis Jadot and Francois Raveneau.

Cote d’Or (Burgundy)
Color:Straw yellow with a hint of green.

Taste: Medium to full bodied with firm acidity. Flavours of hazelnuts, almonds, vanilla, apples, lemons and honey may abound.

Notes:Cote d’Or wines can be classified into 5 categories (from moderate to best): Regional (eg Bourgogne Blanc), District (Cote de Beaune), Commune/Village (eg. Meursault), Premier Cru, Grand Cru. The three most important communes for premier and grand crus wines are Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. Wines from these regions are expensive but can’t go wrong. If you can afford it, the grand cru vineyards are : Carton-Charlemagne, Le Montrachet, Batard- Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, Crots- Batard-Montrachet, Corton and Musigny.

Producers:The producers available here are Louis Jadot, Louis Latour, Leroy, Domaine Leflaive and Verget.

Chardonnay is a popular wine because it is enjoyable on its own as well as with many other food. Excluding spicy foods, Chardonnay is suitable for many local dishes like fish, seafood, oysters, poultry and other white meat. With this, I hope you have learnt much from this series and do let me know if you have any feedback to this features. Cheers!