September Wine Focus: Chardonnay!

2012 Failla Sonoma Coast Chardonnay: abv of 14.1%; Very nice Cal. Chardonnay with medium straw color. The nose was all about lemon with a hint of herb. The palate was lemon with some chalky minerality. As I write this note the wine is displaying more hebalness and smokeyness on the nose. Semi-viscous. Probably needs another 5-8 years to reach peak maturity, Great acidity also.

Howie mentioned the Cave Spring Chardonnay. I am a big fan of their Rieslings so feel I should seek out his suggestion.

Superb Chardonnays are being made in the Jura region by the likes of Tissot, Ganevat, Labet and Rijckaert, which IMO rival many from the Côte d'Or but with their own character. The traditional oxidised style is becoming rarer and these producers make mostly fresh cuvées without undue exposure to air. This style, normal elsewhere, is referred to locally as "ouillé", but WARNING the word does not often appear on labels so it is important to get information on whether a specific wine is oxidative or normal, i.e. ouillé.

The Jura Chard below is ouillé but not up to the standard of the producers mentioned above.

2014 Domaine Grand Côtes du Jura - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (9/7/2016)
In April, I wrote "A nice slightly creamy Jura Chard with plenty of freshness, tension and minerals but, as before, there was a note, particularly on palate entry, reminiscent of coconut veering to caramel..." I was hoping that the coconut and caramel traces would fade with time but they are still there, but now more marked in the finish; it's the freshness and fruit which seems to be fading. Perhaps just a phase but I won't be buying any more bottles.

Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

2012 Failla Sonoma Coast Chardonnay: abv of 14.1%; Very nice Cal. Chardonnay with medium straw color. The nose was all about lemon with a hint of herb. The palate was lemon with some chalky minerality. As I write this note the wine is displaying more hebalness and smokeyness on the nose. Semi-viscous. Probably needs another 5-8 years to reach peak maturity, Great acidity also.

Thanks Jim.

My first club shipment from Failla comes this fall. Looking forward to finally trying the wines.

I purchased some of the 2013 Failla Chardonnays and the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir--all very pleasant. I met Ehren Jordan several years ago at the Nantucket Wine Festival and shared a picnic table with Ehren and his daughter on the Martinelli property at West of West Festival in 2015. I'm thinking of signing up for one of the wine clubs this fall (probably the all red wines club) but will still try to purchase some of the Chards at a retail store in Raleigh.

[Jenise]

Last night we opened Barrage Cellars' 2011 Nuclear Blonde chardonnay. This is one of those confusing acquisitions I think most wine lovers can relate to--loved it at the winery where it seemed acid-driven and focussed, got it home, and nine months later I can't explain what we saw in it. It's actually rather ripe and simplistic for a 2011--a cold, difficult vintage in which many producers didn't pick until November during the one week between technically-ripe-enough and frost. Not oxidized, but not a wine I'd have purchased. Btw, it's fair to mention that the reds I bought at the same time have not disappointed, it's just this chardonnay.

The name of that wine is enough to put me off.

Jenise , where is Barrage Cellars located? What AVA?

[Jenise]

Jenise , where is Barrage Cellars located? What AVA?

The winery is in Woodinville, not downtown but about a mile away in an area known as 'the Warehouse Area'. The owner/winemaker sources his grapes from various vineyards in the greater Columbia Valley and Walla Walla. I love his cabernets, and his cabernet rose is special.

2013 Campovida "Oppenlander" Chardonnay.

Our Chardonnay comes from Oppenlander Vineyard, a cool climate vineyard farmed by fifth generation farmers located in the town of Comptche, just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It is one of only four vineyards planted in this fascinating new area that is ideal for producing Chardonnay with high acid and crisp finish similar to northern Burgundy.

This is definitely an IPOB tangy, crispy style of Chardonnay. Very feral, minerally, sea shelly. Blind, I might even tag this as dry Chenin Blanc! It reminds me of the Matthiason or Broc Cellars or even Donkey and Goat Linda Vista Chardonnays from north of Napa City!!! Not a typical California Chardonnay, which may be why I loved it!

[Jenise]

2013 Campovida "Oppenlander" Chardonnay.

Our Chardonnay comes from Oppenlander Vineyard, a cool climate vineyard farmed by fifth generation farmers located in the town of Comptche, just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It is one of only four vineyards planted in this fascinating new area that is ideal for producing Chardonnay with high acid and crisp finish similar to northern Burgundy.

This is definitely an IPOB tangy, crispy style of Chardonnay. Very feral, minerally, sea shelly. Blind, I might even tag this as dry Chenin Blanc! It reminds me of the Matthiason or Broc Cellars or even Donkey and Goat Linda Vista Chardonnays from north of Napa City!!! Not a typical California Chardonnay, which may be why I loved it!

Sounds really interesting, though on first read I have a hard time reconciling "fifth generation farmers" with "fascinating new area". Are they or are they not new vineyards? Can't make it out.

[Jenise]

Since I'm already an avowed chardonnay lover, I decided that what I can gain, and share, from participating in this focus is kind of a worldwide lesson in chardonnay. Toward that goal I reached yesterday for a bottle of 2012 Kumeu River 'Hunting Hill' chardonnay gifted to us by Sue Courtney. Now I realize that this is a 'top drop', as they say there, and so in that sense not exactly representative, but it dawned on me as I opened it that I can barely recall the last time I tasted a NZ chardonnay. I have no real sense of what a typical NZ chardonnay tastes like. I have no way of fitting it into or outside of the spectrum of California vs. Oregon vs. B.C., say, or Macon vs. Chablis vs. Meursault.

So I opened it, fueled by the warm sun on the patio, the Seahawks win over Miami, and the glow of enjoying a gift from a precious friend. I was in the mood to be charmed, and charm it did. Highly aromatic nose of toasty oak and sweet fruit that wasn't the usual apple, pear or lemon. I couldn't dial in on that until I tasted it: quince!! I have bottles of artisinal cider made here in Washington from 100% quince, and that's what I got here on the palate along with movie popcorn, unfrosted danish pastry and a hint of marzipan. Though I realize those descriptors aren't appealing in a typical way, the wine itself is hugely so. Unique, balanced and delightful. As sunny as the afternoon on my patio. Whether or not I understand what NZ chardonnays taste like, I can assure you that this doesn't taste like any chardonnay I've ever had from anywhere else--and yet, it's not totally surprising that it's chardonnay. There's some common essence in there somewhere.

It's been a few years since I've had a Kumeu River Chardonnay and I think it was the entry level, not the Hunting Hill you had. I looked up my notes and it mentioned a taste of apple butter. I liked the wine.

Sounds really interesting, though on first read I have a hard time reconciling "fifth generation farmers" with "fascinating new area". Are they or are they not new vineyards? Can't make it out.

I'm guessing that if one translates the Marketingese they mean that the farmers have been there quite a while (maybe cattle farming?) but only now are wines from the subarea becoming "known". The pursuit of colder sites continues!

2011 BABCOCK THE MENTOR CHARDONNAY, SANTA RITA HILLS, CA. From The Mentor section of The Rita's Crown Vineyard. 14.2% abv. This was a rich gold color, perhaps a shade darker than the Walter Hansel Cuvee Alyce Chardonnay from the same vintage that I had earlier this month. It displays some opulence and noticeable oak influence and touches of walnut or hazelnut. I find a stony underpinning to the fruit notes. One moment I think I detect a lemon hint; another moment it morphs into apricot. To my palate the specific fruit is elusive and not easily identified, but the overall impression is somewhat attractive.

[Jenise]

Superb Chardonnays are being made in the Jura region by the likes of Tissot, Ganevat, Labet and Rijckaert, which IMO rival many from the Côte d'Or but with their own character. The traditional oxidised style is becoming rarer and these producers make mostly fresh cuvées without undue exposure to air. This style, normal elsewhere, is referred to locally as "ouillé", but WARNING the word does not often appear on labels so it is important to get information on whether a specific wine is oxidative or normal, i.e. ouillé.

When we were there in May, we were mostly shown the oxidative styles (by anyone pouring chardonnays, and not all were). One thing we did find out, though, at Stephan Tissot's tasting room, is that the soils in Jura-immediate are clay-ey, and those tend to produce heavy whites that seem oxidative even when they're not--sounds exactly like what you found in this wine. (At Tissot they poured us a Jura Vin Jaune and one from limestone soils outside of Jura, same vintage, and it made a significant difference.)

[Jenise]

2011 BABCOCK THE MENTOR CHARDONNAY, SANTA RITA HILLS, CA. From The Mentor section of The Rita's Crown Vineyard. 14.2% abv. This was a rich gold color, perhaps a shade darker than the Walter Hansel Cuvee Alyce Chardonnay from the same vintage that I had earlier this month. It displays some opulence and noticeable oak influence and touches of walnut or hazelnut. I find a stony underpinning to the fruit notes. One moment I think I detect a lemon hint; another moment it morphs into apricot. To my palate the specific fruit is elusive and not easily identified, but the overall impression is somewhat attractive.

JC, your note jogged the memory of an '11 Babcock chardonnay. I recall that it presented surprisingly heavy and I wouldn't have expected that from a vintage like '11, although the generalizations that apply to Napa and Sonoma in that vintage may not apply to the Santa Rita Hills 200 miles further south. My note in July '14: "Intense and full-bodied. Borderline tropical but pulls back before getting its feet wet with flavors of apple, quince and pineapple. Pleasurable and marred only by some heat on the finish that made us check the bottle for the alcohol numbers: 14.2%." I can actually see the evolution of my wine into yours.

TN: 2014 Dominique Cornin Macon-Chaintre.

Purchased for this Focus. Good natural cork, $25 Cdn, 13% alc. Open one hour/decanted. 11 months on the lees. I am not a chardonnay drinker but I really enjoyed this wine after consulting wine staff downtown at my fave store.

Color is a medium lemon, looks attractive. Instant aromatics on pulling the cork, lemon zest, apple, some herbs here. No mineral tones to speak of, "peach floral" from across the table.
Initial entry thought is dry, great balance, appealing acidity. Not too tart and showed a hint of some ripeness on day 2. Medium bodied, solid without being too weighty. Think a year might add to the enjoyment but I liked it.
Food was baked salmon in a fresh herb cream sauce.

2012 Knapp Finger Lakes Chardonnay. It went just wonderfully with our dinner of sautéed pork chops, pilaf, and peas. Yum!

Lets hear more for Finger Lakes!

[Jenise]

So on Tuesday night the Dorks of York got together to taste Chardonnays From Around the World. And no, it wasn't even me who suggested that theme. All the wines were served blind. Order is simply a matter of someone saying "I want my wine to go next." The diversity in origins and age among these wines was especially superb--I love this group!


2015 Domaine du Prieuré d'Amilhac Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue Pinot-Chardonnay
Unusual note of beeswax on the nose with apples and a saline component. Crisp and clean. Good.

2005 Bindi Chardonnay Composition Macedon Ranges
My bottle. Buttered popcorn Jelly Belly, creamed corn, ripe pineapple, nutty, heavy. Tastes of some bottle age but by no means is this mature. Very much a cocktail wine--screams 'new world' (unlike the other aged Aussie in this tasting). I had one other bottle of this which we drank about 7 years ago. And though it's really no surprise that it turned out as it has, I'm disappointed--it seems to have ended up with the worst aspects of the younger wine and none of the better parts. Eh.

2014 Vignoble Guillaume Chardonnay Vin de Pays de Franche-Comté Vieilles Vignes
Sulfur nose that would most likely blow off, biggish with vivid fruit yet plenty of acid to support it. Good expression of the Jura.

2012 Le Clos Jordanne Chardonnay Claystone Terrace Twenty Mile Bench VQA
My wine. (And of course I had to slip in a Canadian somewhere, they tease me about this.) Cocoa buttter, lemon curd, cream, no obvious oak. Beautifully concentrated, silky. Very good to excellent.

1976 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay Mt. Veeder
Gabe's wine--from his birth year! Orange-y gold. Very mature but not sherried with notes of pecans, apricots and meyer lemon rind. Butterscotched like a LH but dry, with great depth. Fabulous experience!

2014 Haden Fig Chardonnay Willamette Valley
Controversial. Some comments: "Undrinkable." "My cheeks hurt from smelling it." Nose of petrol and corn flakes was pretty darned unusual but I actually kind of liked it for being different. Didn't have much company, though.

2015 Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay Carneros
Good on Vic for daring to bring a Rombauer. Blind, it was quite pale where most of the Rombauers I've ever had looked like a cousin of Mountain Dew. On the palate, forward fruit, sweet (but not sappy), oaky, bright and yet overall balanced and pleasing. So much so that when Vic threw out the hint "iconic", and then followed that with "well, supermarket iconic" none of us went to Rombauer. This is SO dialed back from expectations. Winemaker change, stylistic change or just something about the vintage? No one knew, but where we thought it was comparatively great I'm guessing your standard Rombauer fan will be disappointed.

2014 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey Chardonnay
Poor Chablis that had to follow a Rombauer, but this held up. Classic Chablis flavors which are not paled by the comparison, but rather made even more evident. Primary flavors have already integrated; shows very well for a PnP'd youngster. Very, very good.

2011 Les Crêtes Chardonnay Valle d'Aosta
First comment from the group: "passion fruit". Second comment: "you mean, passion fruit that someone set on fire." Big toast, smoke, and piney notes like douglas fir. Seems a bit evolved so '11 is no surprise. That it was made in Italy, however, is. Good.

2006 Domaine Ponsot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants Vieilles Vignes Aligoté
My bottle, from magnum, half removed to an empty 750 and served as a ringer. Pale color. Ethereal nose, exquisite complexity on the palate. White flowers, honey and exotic white fruits. As good or better than the 750 I had two years ago and one of the best white wines I've ever had. Who knew aligote could be like this??? Outstanding.

2007 Caves Duplessis Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Chardonnay
Yellow. Primary flavors of lemon-lime, minerally, picks up some flint as it sits in the glass. Very youthful, and very good!

2006 Shaw and Smith Chardonnay M3 Vineyard Adelaide Hills
One of my faves at this tasting. Pale yellow and chablis-like: flinty, balanced, a little creamier perhaps than Chablis would be but still the flavors are right and every sip seems to echo back at you in a quietly profound way. Fresh and yet evolved, but no mature flavors. Exceptional.

[Jenise]

So does anyone have an opinion on Chile vs. Argentina? When we spent two weeks in Costa Rica a year ago, as one would guess all the wines available were from those two countries. With the great seafood, we lived on chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. And it didn't take longer than the first week to feret out that the Argentinians were on the whole heavily toasted and sometimes candied in flavor where the Chileans were more to our tastes, balanced and sometimes elegant. Both are somewhat understandable given the Argentinian bent for grilled meats and Chile's seafood-rich coastline. But still, I don't like heavy toast. So with some trepidation the other day, on spying a 2015 Catena chardonnay from Argentina--priced at $18 no less--I purchased the bottle for my "chardonnays from round the world" quest while expecting not to particularly like it.

But I did like it after all. It tasted in fact like a warm vintage Macon chardonnay, very well made and not heavily toasted but with admittedly more than you'd usually find in France. It earned its price tag.

I've liked the Catena Alta Chardonnay in the past. The grapes are grown at a high altitude and don't taste overripe.

by JC (NC)

.Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:08 pm.

I don't have wide experience with South American wines but did like the Catena Alta Chardonnay which may have been above their entry level.

[Jenise]

This wasn't the Catena Alta--just plain Catena. Not sure which is which, but it's Laura Catena's brand.