Wine Focus August 2023 - Benchmarks of Chardonnay

[David M. Bueker]

Do I really need to say anything? Is there anything new to say about Chardonnay? Perhaps climate change, and how Chardonnay is being affected is a worthwhile discussion. Warm years in Chablis, hailstorms, late frosts - the randomness of modern climate seems to just bring problems, rarely solutions.

So what is a fan of Chardonnay to do? Is the Sonoma Coast the new Chablis, even with completely different soils? What has happened to the benchmark wines, beyond wildly escalating prices? We probably don't even need to open a bottle to have these discussions, but let's do that anyway!

Is the Sonoma Coast the new Chablis, even with completely different soils?

Forget Sonoma, with climate change, the Mosel is the new Chablis! But, we may have to wait a while for things to fall into place... (And you will probably have to spend more than in Chablis, which doesn't make much sense...)

[David M. Bueker]

I'm still struggling with the schizophrenia of German Pinot Noir! I am not ready to head down the hype-driven rabbit hole (you know who I am thinking of here) of German Chardonnay.

I'm still struggling with the schizophrenia of German Pinot Noir! I am not ready to head down the hype-driven rabbit hole (you know who I am thinking of here) of German Chardonnay.

Indeed! I'm a big fan of Spätburgunder, and aside from some outliers, the value relative to Burgundy is usually pretty good (although clearly a different style and not an exact replacement). But the German Chardonnay prices are shockingly high, at least to me. Especially since they are probably years (if not decades) behind the Spätburgunders.

White Burgundy from the mainstream villages for white on the Côte d'Or, such as Puligny, Chassagne, Meursault and Aloxe, has been the source of some of the most wonderful wines I have drunk, e.g. Domaine Leflaive's Chevalier-Montrachet 1985 in about year 2000. However this is well in the past thanks to a combination of premox (about 2 dozen mainly 1996s from Sauzet, Ramonet, etc. down the sink) and ridiculously high prices with warming climate now being added into the mix.

As with Pinot Noir, I have serious doubts whether Chardonnay can continue to produce that magic combination of flavour and freshness from the prime Burgundian sites, which originally achieved that status from their special micro-climates. At more affordable prices, we have Chablis and the Mâconnais, but I think that the former are becoming fatter and are losing some of their former steely elegance while some of the latter are becoming distinctly Mediterranean in character in spite of efforts to develop small site specificity through a cru system especially at Pouilly-Fuissé.

I guess that in a generation or so, quality production of Chardonnay (and PN) will have moved further north with great still wines coming out of Champagne, Germany and perhaps also England and Belgium (already creditable Chard out of Genoels-Elderen in eastern Belgian Flanders). As for N. America, S.America and the Antipodes, I don't have much knowledge but perhaps the future is in Canada, Patagonia and NZ South Island.

A climate wild card for Europe has been highlighted by a recent report from Danish climate scientists. This is the shutting down of the Gulf Stream, which warms northern Europe's Atlantic face, due to the melting of ice in Greenland and the Arctic. The report in question predicts that there is a 95% chance of this happening between 2025 and 2095. Naturally this prediction is contested by many other scientists.

[David M. Bueker]

I agree with much of what you wrote Tim. I read a lot of reviews, as well as amateur discussions around White Burgundy/Chablis vintages, and there is a hyper-focus on finding the "classic" vintages, and sadly dismissing warmer years as "solar" (a term I find ludicrous, as without the sun we are all doomed).

Regarding California, there is quite a lot of exploration of cooler areas (the true Sonoma Coast, some of the Santa Barbara-adjacent areas that are open to sea influences, etc.) that yields quite nervy Chardonnay wines.

...and sadly dismissing warmer years as "solar" (a term I find ludicrous, as without the sun we are all doomed)..

Maybe I didn't drink broadly enough, but the 2018 Chablis that I tasted were all extremely atypical and not something I wanted to be drinking. The ripeness didn't fit the frame. So I stopped trying.

[David M. Bueker]

...and sadly dismissing warmer years as "solar" (a term I find ludicrous, as without the sun we are all doomed)..

Maybe I didn't drink broadly enough, but the 2018 Chablis that I tasted were all extremely atypical and not something I wanted to be drinking. The ripeness didn't fit the frame. So I stopped trying.

I have a small stash of 2018s from Louis Michel. They are ripe for Chablis, but still taste like Chablis.

I guess that in a generation or so, quality production of Chardonnay (and PN) will have moved further north with great still wines coming out of Champagne, Germany and perhaps also England and Belgium (already creditable Chard out of Genoels-Elderen in eastern Belgian Flanders)..

Amazing. Don't think I've ever had a Belgian wine.

One challenge with wine is that it takes so long for vines to produce the highest quality fruit, so it truly is measured in generations. I'd been hoping to ride out Burgundy through my life time. Will see.

...and sadly dismissing warmer years as "solar" (a term I find ludicrous, as without the sun we are all doomed)..

Maybe I didn't drink broadly enough, but the 2018 Chablis that I tasted were all extremely atypical and not something I wanted to be drinking. The ripeness didn't fit the frame. So I stopped trying.

I have a small stash of 2018s from Louis Michel. They are ripe for Chablis, but still taste like Chablis.

Yes, that's one of the fresher producers. Haven't explored as much as I could.

I guess that in a generation or so, quality production of Chardonnay (and PN) will have moved further north with great still wines coming out of Champagne, Germany and perhaps also England and Belgium (already creditable Chard out of Genoels-Elderen in eastern Belgian Flanders)..

Amazing. Don't think I've ever had a Belgian wine.

I think that Belgium has a lot of potential for making good wine in a warming climate. This would be helped by a perspicacious enthusiasm for wine found amongst many Belgians. In the warm period of the middle ages, many wines were produced along the Meuse valley and commercial vines survived in some places into the 19th century. There are enthusiasts reviving vineyards in many places. I have even heard of one within the Brussels boundaries.

[David M. Bueker]

...and sadly dismissing warmer years as "solar" (a term I find ludicrous, as without the sun we are all doomed)..

Maybe I didn't drink broadly enough, but the 2018 Chablis that I tasted were all extremely atypical and not something I wanted to be drinking. The ripeness didn't fit the frame. So I stopped trying.

I have a small stash of 2018s from Louis Michel. They are ripe for Chablis, but still taste like Chablis.

Yes, that's one of the fresher producers. Haven't explored as much as I could.

Jim Cowan got me hooked on Michel. It's no Raveneau, but it's delicious in its own right.

[Robin Garr]

This is a good basic Chablis, well worth the mid-$20s price. Pure and fresh, made with no oak as is typical for Chablis, it's a good introduction to the type. Perhaps owing to warming climate, it's a bit on the full and fruity side, less austere than the traditional standard; but that clean, stony/chalky Chablis minerality comes through at the end.

Domaine de Chantemerle 2021 Chablis ($26.99)

Domaine de Chantemerle Chablis is a clear bright greenish gold color. Delicious scent, apples and mixed citrus, lime and tangerine. Clean and fresh, dry and bright acidic flavors follow the nose, with stony-chalky minerality becoming evident in a long finish. There's no hint of oak in this pure, clean wine made with indigenous yeast and fermented and aged in stainless steel; modest 12.5% alcohol doesn't get in the way. U.S. importer: Skurnik Wines, NYC. (July 29, 2023)

FOOD MATCH: Shellfish, crab, and lobster are traditional pairings. It will go well with oysters, freshwater fish, and mild French cheeses, and surprised us with an unexpected affinity for pasta with a simple marinara sauce made from fresh garden tomatoes.

WHEN TO DRINK: Conventional wisdom suggests enjoying basic Chablis within two or three years after the vintage. It's delicious now, and there's no reason to hold it.

VALUE:
It's a good value at Wine-Searcher.com's $27 average U.S. retail.

WEB LINK:
Here's a detailed fact sheet from North Berkeley Imports, another distributor.

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

Learn about Chablis and its Chardonnay wines at this Wine-Searcher link, where you can find a range of wines from the region.

There's an extensive limestone layer that extends from Spain through France to the south of England. The white cliffs of Dover are one exposed section. It seems to create great wine-growing soils wherever it gets close to the surface. Champagne, the Cote d'Or, Cognac, and Jerez de la Frontera are all located on its outcroppings.

Wine from the South of England was well regarded in Roman times, before the climate became too cold. Perhaps chardonnay could find an exceptional soil partner there, now that it's warm enough again?

-Paul W

[David M. Bueker]

There's an extensive limestone layer that extends from Spain through France to the south of England. The white cliffs of Dover are one exposed section. It seems to create great wine-growing soils wherever it gets close to the surface. Champagne, the Cote d'Or, Cognac, and Jerez de la Frontera are all located on its outcroppings.

Wine from the South of England was well regarded in Roman times, before the climate became too cold. Perhaps chardonnay could find an exceptional soil partner there, now that it's warm enough again?

-Paul W

Until the Gulf Stream shuts down.

Wine from the South of England was well regarded in Roman times, before the climate became too cold. Perhaps chardonnay could find an exceptional soil partner there, now that it's warm enough again?

Interesting to think about the long sweep of history.

[Robin Garr]

I traveled in Fruili back in the early '00s with a group that included Bob Lindo, founder and wine maker at Camel Valley Vineyards in Cornwall, who made fantastic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay-based sparklers there and who made just that argument: The consistent band of limestone that extended from Champagne, under the channel through Dover and across Southern England. Interesting guy, and all the wine he shared was spectacular. He also took pride in identifying his wine as "Cornwall."

https://www.camelvalley.com/

I'm not much of a fan of Chardonnay grown further south in Europe than the Mâconnais but some from Limoux have been an exception. This sub-region is at the extreme west of Languedoc and, like Cabardès and Malpère for reds, it has as much an Atlantic as Mediterranean character being close to the watershed between those two seas. Limoux has a particularly fresh climate being situated in the Pyrenees foothills with some vineyards at the quite high altitude of 450 metres. When I saw this one of a local store, I stretched for it experimentally but have to admit that it is not up to the best that the appellation can provide.

2017 Domaine Teramas Limoux Astruc - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Limoux (09/08/2023)
I have enjoyed Chardonnay from Limoux in the past, especially from Domaine Mouscaillou, for their unusual freshness and minerality from so far south. This one, I picked up on spec and with a little bit of research discovered that it comes from the Jean-Claude Mas empire. In its 6th year, I suspect that this is past its best, but there remains some suave peachy fruit with a citrus squirt, a creamy undertow, moderate acidity and a slightly bitter finish which seems to be drying out, maybe not helped by 14% alcohol. Quite good.
Posted from CellarTracker

[Jenise]

Robin, I owned 4 or 5 bottles of Camel Valley bubbly--every bottle was a Wow wine. Surprising depth and complexity, about as good as anything I've ever had from Champagne.

Last night I opened a GC Chablis for my brother who was visiting to sample some terrine leftovers. Chris is fun to pour for. He has a Grocery Outlet budget and a partner who loves fat and oaky California chardonnay (from a box), and hasn't been exposed often to the level of fine wine we enjoy on a regular basis. But every time we pour him something that's above average, he gets it. (I'm surrounded by a lot of wine lovers who don't.) He has a great palate. This one blew him away:

2021 Lamblin & Fils Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir Chardonnay
This wine, so seemingly fat a few months ago, showed beautifully yesterday. Not lean, just leaner, some steel with concentrated fruit, depth and structure typical of a Grand Cru. I hadn't thought well of it when I first brought it home, but it may turn into a gem after all.

[David M. Bueker]

2019 Ramey Rochioli Chardonnay is stunning tonight!

[Jenise]

Such a gorgeous wine. And getting better as more time passes.

[David M. Bueker]

Such a gorgeous wine. And getting better as more time passes.

My 2020s arrive in October!

[David M. Bueker]

I really do think that the Sonoma Coast is where Chardonnay does best in the USA.

• 2019 Kutch Chardonnay Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (8/22/2023)
  Tasted over the course of two nights, this was more saline and bright one the first night. Second night brought out more fruit, but still on the fresh/crunchy side, with a distinct whiff of quince fruit (I have a quince bush in my yard, so experience it every fall). Overall I preferred the mouthfeel on night one, and the fruit expression on night two. Perhaps a night one decant would have done the trick.

[Jenise]

Speaking of benchmarks, Dauvissat is a benchmark of Chablis and last night I was thrilled with a 2018 Chablis made by Vincent Dauvissat's brother in law, Laurent Tribut. I actually did not know of the relationship until someone offered that fact after I posted about it last night on Facebook. This was excellent. I see the correlation in styles, and the wine drank like a Premier Cru. There was depth, cut and a sense of purpose about it with hints of herb, lemon meringue pie, wet autumn leaves and only a mere hint of reduction. Textbook old school Chablis to my way of thinking.