photo of ripe English Chardonnay ready to be turned into sparkling wine
With around 210,000 hectares planted worldwide, Chardonnay is a titan of the wine world.
Taking its name from a little village in the Mâconnais sub-region of Burgundy, Chardonnay is one of the most versatile grape varieties. As wine enthusiasts we really love Chardonnay, which is why it always surprises us when customers say they don't. Chardonnay is a chameleon grape that expresses the place it’s grown and the people who make it, which is why we love it, and want to transfer that enthusiasm to consumers in ways that we aim to explore below.
Climate
Like with any grape variety, the climate in which it is grown affects the flavour and aroma characteristics that we pick up on. Picture climate as a sliding scale for our depth of aroma and flavour characteristics - if cool climate is crisp and fresh, then the warm climate is tropical and deep. Chardonnay can be grown in cooler climates (Chablis, Oregon, Sonoma Coast, Canada, Chile) and in these climates will express aromas and flavours or crisp green apples, pears, lemon and lime with hints of minerality - think of those wet stone and crushed shell notes in your glass of Chablis (yes - Chablis is made from Chardonnay!!). Warmer climate Chardonnay (from Central Valley, Napa Valley, Margaret River, Barossa) will be full of tropical fruit notes like pineapple, mango, baked or yellow-fleshed stone fruit and ripe pears.
Cooler climates can affect grapes in a few ways;
-
Firstly, the ripening process slows down, allowing grapes to develop more slowly and gain more complexity.
-
Secondly, acidity can be retained at a much higher level - meaning that our wines will have a bright freshness to them.
-
Thirdly, sugar levels are lower as grapes need warmth and sunlight to increase their sugar levels and perceived sweetness. This also means that the alcohol levels are lower than their warm climate counterparts due to the fact that there is less sugar to be converted into alcohol during the winemaking process.
Warm climates essentially affect grapes in the opposite way;
-
The ripening process is sped up with the increased sunlight and warmth - causing deeper more tropical flavours.
-
Acidity will be generally lower than that of grapes grown in cooler climates but it is important to remember that different grape varieties have different chemical compositions and therefore different profiles - Chardonnay is a grape that has a generally high acidity - so we can still retain a freshness, even in our warmer climate wines.
-
Sugar content is higher - meaning that our alcohol content again, will be higher as there is more to convert during winemaking.
Winemaking
Here is where our secondary characteristics (from decisions made in the winery) come in. This includes anything from the type of yeast used during fermentation, maturation vessels and ageing preferences.
A common practice in winemaking called Malolactic Conversion (MLF, malo), is the secondary process by which malic acid (more tart acid like in green apples) is consumed by bacteria and converted into lactic acid (rounder acid found in milk) to create a smoother texture.
Now, this creaminess is often what people mistake for butteriness from oak maturation and say ‘I hate buttery Chardonnay.’
For example, Chablis is generally unoaked - but it does undergo some malolactic fermentation in order to soften that intense acidity.
Stainless Steel Tanks
Stainless steel tanks are what is known as inert, meaning that they do not impart any flavour or aroma into the final wine. The tanks are temperature controlled and can be used to ferment, mature and store wines as well as preventing oxidation.
Widely used in Chablis, stainless steel is used when a winemaker wants to preserve the freshness and purity of a crisp wine.
Try our Domaine Alexandre Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2023 to see what we mean!
Oak Barrels
Oak barrels allow a tiny amount of oxygen to come into contact with the wine due to the fact that they are porous vessels. When the inside of the barrels are toasted, compounds in the wood release aromatics that are reflected in the wines that we drink. Different levels of toasting create different levels of depth of these aromatics so a winemaker can control what effects that they want the wood to have on their wine.
Maturing in oak also helps to soften the tannins and create a general roundness in the wine.
Maturing in oak can impart aromas of cedar, baking spice, cocoa, tobacco, vanilla and many, many more.
Our Danbury Ridge Chardonnay 2023 is a fantastic example.
Concrete Eggs
Concrete is another porous maturation vessel - and as the name suggests - are egg-shaped.
The porosity of concrete eggs allows a ‘micro-oxygenation’ to happen like oak barrels - which as mentioned, helps to soften tannins but the key difference is that the concrete is neutral and therefore does not add any of those spicy or aromatic notes that we mentioned above.
The shape of the vessel encourages the wine to move on its own, stirring the lees (dead yeast cells) and creating a round texture and complex flavours of biscuit, brioche and pastry.
The Larry Cherubino Uovo Chardonnay 2025 is a crazy value-for-money wine to show you what concrete eggs can really do.
(watch this space for it to go live on the website…)
Food Pairings
It really does matter!
During our wine and food tastings, we really unpack what food does to your perception of a wine. It can really ruin your experience if you get the pairing wrong - so here are some of our top tips when it comes to pairing Chardonnay!
-
‘If it grows, it goes’ - generally a good rule of thumb is to look at where the wine is from - and what foods are grown or produced in that region.
Example: Delice de Bourgogne (a super decadent and buttery cheese made with triple-cream), produced in Burgundy, France and when paired with a Meursault, a white Burgundy, both the wine and cheese totally come alive.
The acidity in the wine helps to cut through the rich creaminess of the cheese and the subtly spiced oak influence on the Meursault works harmoniously with the rind.
-
Flavour matching - look at similar characteristics and match them to create a flavour bomb.
Example: A good pairing for this method would be a rich, bold and creamy Chardonnay, like our Matawhero Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 alongside something like a chicken supreme - rich, creamy and earthy.
Or a light and bright unoaked bottle with a salad or light seafood dishes, the bright citrus and stone fruits with a pure minerality work incredibly well especially for starters to really kick things off on the palate!
Knowing a little more about what happens before the wine reaches you, is a great way to help you to choose a bottle to have on its own or to pair with something delicious.
With so many different styles, if you still don’t believe that there is a chardonnay for you - give one of our pairing suggestions a go and see if your perception of the wine changes.
After that, if you still don’t think a Chardonnay is for you, pop in and see us - let’s have a chat.
Written by Mhairi Fairbairn