Wine Focus (February) - Wine 102 "The Wines of Chardonnay"

[David M. Bueker]

Moving on to our second course of the first semester, it's the dominant white grape in the world of wine, Chardonnay. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay isn't much for blending, so there are a lot of wines that are 100% Chardonnay that do not say Chardonnay on the label. Virtually all the various permutations of White Burgundy are 100% Chardonnay, and varietally labeled Chardonnay from the rest of the world is normally just that one grape. So we are a little more flexible this month, and there's no requirement for the front label to display the grape, as long as the wine is made from Chardonnay. Got a Chablis ready to go? Open it for Wine 102! Having some Blanc de Blancs Champagne for Valentine's Day? More that likely that qualifies.

Hopefully this is all clear, but if you aren't sure if the wine fits the course description, open it anyway! It might start an interesting conversation.

Happy Chardonnay February everyone.

[David M. Bueker]

NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Réserve Oubliée Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (1/31/2021)
June 2013 disgorgement

Fascinating from the first pour, it showed intense floral character, and eventually a bit of honey dipped apple. Full bodied, and with a creamy texture, it felt like it was gliding along a plateau of maturity, with no end in sight. Laura asked why we did not have it in magnum. Alas.

[Jenise]

Dave, I still have only had one Pierre Peters champagne. It was so fantastic, it's inexcusable that I've not hunted down another (procurement means Seattle or mail order).

Meanwhile, I opened this last over the weekend:

2016 Paul Cluver Chardonnay Seven flags, Elgin South Africa
Time has been good to this wine--100% new oak (I believe) is more integrated now. Fruit etc are layered and remain on the delicate side as is Paul's (and probably Elgin's higher elevation) style--blind, grape would be easy enough to guess but origins would be hard to place as it fits none of the typical models for either old or new world chardonnays.

[David M. Bueker]

2017 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard - USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros (2/3/2021)
Popped and poured just shortly after the 5 o’clock bell rang, this had an immediate tropical element that dominated the palate. Thirty minutes later it’s still there, but part of the weave, rather than just a singular element. An hour later, and a salty minerality makes its appearance. Bright acidity balances the fruit, and oak spice adds seasoning. Ho-hum, it’s another delicious vintage of Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay. This is a wise consistency, so no hobgoblins here.

[Jenise]

Last night with roast chicken:

2014 P. Dubreuil-Fontaine Père & Fils Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Clos Berthet Chardonnay
On the nose and palate, ripe pineapple and lemon oil, but stops well short of butterscotch which is what I always fear when I see that color. More like cashews--lightly sweet and nutty but with a bit of fresh bay leaf herb to keep it lively. Definitely at peak but enjoyably so. Drink by 2022.

[David M. Bueker]

what was the price tag on that one Jenise? Pernand always seems like such a value.

[Jenise]

$39, though I got it for $34.

Mature white Burgundy from the leading Côte d'Or villages count among my finest wine memories, e.g. Bâtard-Montrachet 49 in a Paris restaurant in the 60s, Chevalier-Montrachet 85 from Leflaive with some WLDG pals in a London restaurant in the early 00s and, from further north, a glass of Chablis Fourchaume 1979 offered by a vigneron at about the same period. These wines were wonderfully fragrant, mineral and subtle with oak, often obtrusive in youth, by then perfectly integrated. Alas, my attempts to reproduce these emotions by laying down mid 90s 1er crus from Meursault, Puligny and Chassagne were largely frustrated by the curse of premox. I no longer have any wines from such villages in my cellar because their unreliable ageing makes their present day prices quite unjustifiable IMO. However I do continue to buy generic and 1er cru Chablis for drinking young together with wine from the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais, which are improving rapidly and are still quite reasonable in price. Global warming could, however, be a fairly short term threat in the Mâconnais where some recent vintages sometimes confer a Mediterranean hint in the wines.

I'm not a fan of blowsy, buttery and oaky warm climate Chardonnay but there is another area near Burgundy enjoying a similar climate, namely the Jura, and some excellent wines are being made there from Chardonnay. Some are still made in an oxidative style which does not appeal to many modern palates but most are now made in a similar style to Burgundy like this one.

2016 Rijckaert F. Rouve Arbois Arbois Haute Cuvée Chardonnay - France, Jura, Arbois (06/02/2021)
Compared with a bottle drunk 18 months ago, the description "medium bodied, linear in shape, full of gracious white fruit, fine minerals and mouth-watering acidity leading to a saline finish" still applies but I was also conscious now of a hint of vanilla on the nose and a slightly creamy and coconut undertow on the palate. These were quite discreet, however, and not assertive enough to spoil enjoyment. Good+.
Posted from CellarTracker

[Jenise]

I keep hearing that the wines of Lodi have come a long way and will be producing future stars. And I hear this from people with good palates who understand the industry a lot better than I do. But honestly, I don't know how it can happen--with the best will in the world, hot and flat is just not going to produce the kind of wines that perform above the level of box wine or monster zin, unless you're the banker and high volumn is your idea of excellence.

This wine, which I had a very short glass of at my brother's house on Stuporbowl Sunday, didn't improve my opinion: 2018 Peirano Estates Lodi Chardonnay. Soft, vanilla-oak, as average and boring a chardonnay as I've ever tasted.

Which I expressed when asked. A mistake, it turns out, as upon my next need for refill I was given a cotton-candied nero d'avola. Made the chard look good.

[David M. Bueker]

There are some very good wines coming out of Lodi, but the odds with an unknown producer are not great.

Opened a 2014 Ladd Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée Voile (Sonoma Coast) last night. What a crazy, interesting wine. Hard to put it into words, but I'll try later tonight when I have the last of it.

[Jenise]

Will look forward to it. Your last note on a Ladd chardonnay piqued my interest.

[David M. Bueker]

Well overall it reminds me a lot of the regular Sonoma Coast Chards that Eric makes, but there's a textural element that's different, and extremely hard to put a finger on. It's also got a savory side to go along with the bright fruit. Overall I find it interesting and intellectually engaging, but a couple of bottles a year is about enough. I have a 2017 coming at some point soon, so I will get to see the newer vintage. (there was no Cuvee Voile in 2015 or 2016).

A had a couple of nice New Zealand Chardonnay’s recently, already posted on the main forum, but I’ll repeat them here.

2014 Giesen Chardonnay The Fuder Clayvin Vineyard - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (2021-01-31)
I think this is still on the young side. Definite oak notes on the nose - cashews, char - with stonefruits mixed in. Similar on the medium bodied palate, with creamy cashew notes mixed with light butterscotch and stonefruit and citrus fruits and a nice jolt of acidity at the end that keeps it balanced. More time would help integrate the oak, I think. Decanting also helped. (A-)

2012 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu (2020-12-24)
I thought this was showing well now, with secondary butterscotch and popcorn notes on the medium bodied and concentrated wine. Nice finish, and still some acidity that freshened the rich flavours. (A-)

[Jenise]

John, I really like that Kumeu River HH bottling. And what's been remarkable about those I've had is that no two were alike. Don't know quite how that's possible, but each vintage seems to be unique except for the fact that they all, like your bottle, age well.

Yes, Kumeu River makes some very nice chardonnay, and the Mates and Hunting Hill are often my favourites of the single vineyard wines. They are in an unusual predicament where the farmland in the Auckland area is quickly disappearing due to urbanization and the resulting development pressures. So they ended up buying vineyards in the Hawkes Bay area in case they lose their land. I haven't tried any of their new wines (almost all chardonnay) but hope to next time I am in NZ.

Yes, Kumeu River makes some very nice chardonnay, and the Mates and Hunting Hill are often my favourites of the single vineyard wines. They are in an unusual predicament where the farmland in the Auckland area is quickly disappearing due to urbanization and the resulting development pressures. So they ended up buying vineyards in the Hawkes Bay area in case they lose their land. I haven't tried any of their new wines (almost all chardonnay) but hope to next time I am in NZ.

As an European terroirist, I am shocked at the notion of reproducing Kumeu River's Auckland wines in a completely different area. There is certain to be a change in personality but hopefully the result will be good.

In France too, urban development has swamped well known vineyards. A lot of Pessac has been urbanised in the Bordeaux sprawl but Haut-Brion and La Mission have been preserved. Also the rather unique vineyard area of Bellet is at risk of been submerged in the urban development of Nice. It needs great dedication as a wine-grower to resist a tempting financial offer from real estate developers.

[David M. Bueker]

2018 Ceritas Chardonnay Carex - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (2/11/2021)
Dissenting view from most in CT here - there are some good components, but the mid-palate is distinctly watery/weak. It then finishes up with a whimper, as if it just runs out of steam. What started promising, ends disappointing. Can't really sugar coat it. Swing and a miss by the usually flawless Ceritas.

[Jenise]

Last night, this gem with chicken stew:

2016 Calera Chardonnay Mount Harlan
The 19 months of bottle age since our last bottle has enhanced this wine with an exquisite flintiness more like Chablis than California. Excellent weight, balance and mouthfeel. So sorry I didn't buy a case when I had the chance (at undermarket pricing).

[David M. Bueker]

Saved some of the Ceritas to see if open time would help it.

Nope. Boring, boring, boring.

[Jenise]

Very sad, David. Was it an off bottle or just a dull wine, period?

[David M. Bueker]

Based on a note from another person, who opened it because of my note, it's a dud from an otherwise very reliable winery.

[Jenise]

I've never been anything but amazed by Ceritas, it's kind of hard to hear that they ever have a dud.

[David M. Bueker]

I've never been anything but amazed by Ceritas, it's kind of hard to hear that they ever have a dud.

I have two more bottles of the same wine. I'll let them rest a couple of years and check back.

Their Chardonnays have always been top notch. Their Cabernet is also excellent. I am more hit and miss with their Pinots.

[Robin Garr]

Domaine Pinson Frères 2019 Chablis ($24.99)

A distinct, pleasant scent of fresh green apples rises from the glass of this clear, light-gold wine, backed by subtler hints of citrus and spice. Fresh apples and citrus and chalky, stony minerality carry over on the palate of a medium-bodied wine that gains complex, interesting flavor as it warms in the glass: Serve it chilled but not ice-cold. Sustainably grown on vines more than 40 years old in Chablis' sought-after Kimmeridgian soils, it's fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeast and aged in stainless-steel tanks, focusing flavor on the fruit and fermentation character. Moderate 13% alcohol stays in balance, as you'd expect with Chablis. U.S. importer: Skurnik Wines, NYC. (Feb. 6, 2021)

FOOD MATCH: Fresh oysters on the half-shell are the classic match, and it's easy to understand why, as a good Chablis brings similar flavor characteristics to the table as a squirt of lemon, but with a lot more complexity and flavor. That said, we were thoroughly happy with a dish of Roman-style bucatini cacio e pepe, with its bold flavors of black pepper and earthy pecorino romano cheese.

WHEN TO DRINK: It's a delight right now, but it could gain more complexity and subtle flavors with as many as five years aging under good cellar conditions.

VALUE:
Wine-Searcher.com's $26 average U.S. retail is in the same range as my $25 local price; many merchants offer it for a dollar or two less. It's a very good value for Chablis at this price.

WEB LINK:
Here's a link to importer Skurnik's fact sheet on Pinson Frères Chablis; to read more about the producer, Pinson, and its 470-year heritage in Chablis, read this Skurnik link.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Domaine Pinson Frères Chablis on Wine-Searcher.com.

Read about Chablis and page down from there to browse dozens of listings at this Wine-Searcher link.