I've always been a Chardonnay fan, even when it seemed to become unfashionable and suddenly everybody wanted nothing but Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. In recent years, there's been a gentle shift away from in-your-face oaky Chardonnays towards either a purely unoaked ripe fruity type Chardy (does what it says on the label); or what a winemaker might call a more 'reductive' lees-influenced style.
This is where the wine in-the-making is matured for an extended period in contact with the natural fine yeast-lees left after fermentation, often supplemented by a lees-stirring technique or bâtonnage, the traditional French term. And is carried out in previously used or larger-size casks (less oak effect) or simply in tanks, nurturing an environment that naturally produces carbon dioxide and excludes oxygen-influence (reductive).
This can enhance flavours and texture to an adaptable variety like Chardonnay, such as adding greater richness and nuttiness over time; rather than when matured in, for instance, all new and well-toasted barrels that can dominate the overall fruity taste of Chardy too much even after a few years' bottle-age. If that's what the winery has intended, as opposed to a wine that will be sold and drunk young, like most white wines in the real world.
At a couple of big tastings of Australian, New Zealand and Californian wines held in Dublin earlier this year, I discovered a fair few Chardonnays moulded in this way. I sometimes got the impression someone was trying too hard to create a great 'white Burgundy' type wine, which in the end just wasn't very charming, especially when young, even if there probably was very good potential given time.
I think many people who enjoy wine but not very familiar with this mostly successful winemaking technique, and the possible initial 'awkward' aromas and flavours resulting from it (hard to put in words without giving the wrong idea), also wouldn't find them particularly appealing unless cellared for a while, which most of us wouldn't bother doing.
On the other hand, this sort of wine tends to be the kind of expensive Chardonnay that people with more tasting 'experience' (and money) would home in on. At the end of the day, there are lots of very tasty, and classy even, Chardonnays to try from these three nations / states, many of them thankfully far from being just oaky.
Here's a list with notes of my top 18 Chardies, this time jumbled together into an 'A-to-Z' rather than by country or region. Prices: £ = UK, € = Ireland, $ = Australia, NZ or US. And at the bottom, you'll find nine not-to-be-missed 'other white wine' bonus tracks from Aus, NZ and California (Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Albariño, Fiano).
Bottle shot at the top from handpickedwines.com.au.
Austin Paso Robles 2023, California (13.5% abv) - Attractive mix of ripe and creamy vs tight and fresh mouthfeel, complex yeast-lees notes on a weighty but balanced finish. $20-$23
Chateau Montelena Napa Valley 2021, California (14% abv) - Oaty nutty nose, maturing and buttery too with still steely mouthfeel and subtle lingering finish; classy but dear. €98, £75-£85, $75
Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley 2023, California (14% abv) - Pretty classic style offering creamy fruit and lees intensity, countered by a steely side while with weighty texture too. $38
DuMOL Wester Reach Russian River Valley 2021, California (14% abv) - Creamy vs lees-y and ripe fruity vs steely, very long balanced and classy. Very good although pricey. €84, $65-$75.
Handpicked Wines - Australia
Regional Selections Yarra Valley 2023 (12% abv) - Oaty and creamy with rounded palate and light toast, fresh elegant finish though. Very good. £19, $29
Collection Mornington Peninsula 2022 (12.5% abv) - A bit richer with more yeast-lees tones, developing some nutty and creamy notes, pretty intense and long. Very good. £34, $69
Collection Tasmania 2022 (12% abv) - Concentrated yet light and elegant, hints of oak layered with oats and yeast-lees, lovely balance. Very good. £34, $69
Mount Beautiful Wines North Canterbury 2020, New Zealand (14% abv) - Towards 'natural', wild-ferment winemaking gives intense lees notes, lightly toasty oak but with plenty of nutty flavours, powerful yet zesty too; tasty, well-made Chardy. $24-$27
Neudorf Rosie's Block Moutere Nelson 2019, New Zealand (13.5% abv) - Toasted lees tones, surprisingly tight and structured still with retrained creamy notes, very appealing nutty and lees-y finish. €41, $55, £34.
Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Sta. Rita Hills 2022, California (12.5% abv) - Vineyard planted in 1971. Intense reductive style with steely Chablis-esque characters and showing a delicious mix of citrus vs butter, very long and stylish. €75, $50-$55, £35-£45
Schug Sonoma Coast 2023, California (14% abv) - Buttery and lightly toasty layered with ripe peachy fruit, fresh vs powerful finish. Solid Chardy. $30, £30-£40
St. Francis Sonoma County 2020, California (14% abv) - Mature nutty and creamy aromas and flavours vs still steely and quite fresh, drinking nicely now. €29, $17, £25
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Karia 2022, Napa Valley California (14.5% abv) - Rich buttery and oaty style, weighty and concentrated with ripe peachy fruit, long structured finish; lovely Chardy. €56, $36, £45-£50
Truchard Los Carneros 2021, California (14% abv) - Very light oak layered with oaty creamy lees-y notes and ripe peachy fruit, powerful yet steely finish. Good stuff. $35, £35-£39
Tyler Winery Santa Barbara County 2022, California (13% abv) - Charming buttery nose leads to ripe peach and citrus fruit vs crisper bite; very nice 'California Chablis' like style. €32, £32-£36, $30
Varner Wines Foxglove Paso Robles 2019, California (14% abv) - Mature nutty and buttery aromas / flavours, very tasty now but still well balanced and lively enough. Good. €21.65, £20-£23
Wente Vineyards Morning Fog Central Coast 2023, California (13.5% abv) - Creamy and buttery to start vs light yeast-lees tones and fresher finish; nice Chardy. €27, £17-£18, $18
Wirra Wirra The 12th Man Adelaide Hills 2023, Australia (12% abv) - Reductive yeast-lees driven style and quite light too, just a hint of oak vs tasty oaty and nutty flavours, tight fresh finish; very good, needs a bit of time probably. €30, $40, £19.50
Nine other white wine bonus tracks...
Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc 2022, Paso Robles California (12.5%): 50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Viognier plus Marsanne, Vermentino, Roussanne, Picpoul and Bourboulenc. Mature oily nose with lush apricot fruit, freshness and length with nutty characters. Very good, very different. $23-$28, £23.
De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2015, Riverina Australia (11.5% abv): Full-on nose of dried apricots, candied orange peel and sultanas, rich ageing sweet flavours yet it's elegant and fresh still too, complex lingering finish. Classic sweetie. €42.
d'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2023, McLaren Vale Australia (14% abv) - Honeyed and aromatic with creamy yeast-lees undertones, zesty juicy and aromatic too on the palate with rich vs fresh finish, lovely balance and style. €19, £13-£15.
d'Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne 2024, McLaren Vale (14% abv) - Zesty and wild flowery, tight zingy and subtle vs punchy and rounded, closes up on the long finish; very good, needed a few months in bottle probably. €20
Lawson's Dry Hills Estate Pinot Gris 2023, Marlborough New Zealand (13% abv) - Lush and honeyed while zesty and quite dry, stylish and well-balanced white. €22
Peerick Two Nurses Viognier 2021, Pyrenees Australia (13.5% abv) - Mature nose with exotic peachy fruit, nice rounded texture while still showing a bit of crispness too. Surprised me (thought it would be too old).
Forrest Estate Albariño 2022, Marlborough New Zealand (13.5% abv) - Very zingy with aromatic green fruits, developing to oily texture; wow, unusual. €21
Pikes Fiano 2024, Clare Valley Australia (12.5% abv) - Zingy and zesty with green fruit edges while nutty and exotic at the same time, very nice mix of flavours and textures. €19.50
Blue Pyrenees Estate White Field Blend 2023, Australia (12% abv) - Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. Aromatic and yeast-lees-y with exotic fruit developing, crisp and chalky finish; delicious and different.
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