Bread & Butter Chardonnay, 2019, California
Chardonnay may not be everyone’s cup of tea, or rather choice of tipple. Some wine drinkers swear by it and won’t drink anything else; others will drink ‘Anything But Chardonnay’. Nevertheless, Chardonnay is one of the most widely-planted and versatile grapes in the world and comes in a range of styles, depending on its provenance and the winemaker’s approach to wine production. Although wine drinkers may prefer one style or another, or indeed not care for it at all, one of the pleasures of exploring the world of wine is discovering what Chardonnay has to offer.
Cooler climate Chardonnays from regions such as Northern Burgundy, Oregon and Tasmania tend to have more acidity, and more citrussy, minerally flavours. They are generally leaner, with lower levels of alcohol. Warmer climate Chardonnays from more southern areas of Burgundy, and most of California and Australia, tend to be fuller-bodied with higher levels of alcohol and less acidity. These wines have riper, stone-fruit and tropical fruit flavours such as peach, pineapple and banana.
In addition to the primary flavours related to climate, the winemaker’s judicious use of malolactic conversion (MLF) and oak barrel fermentation can introduce dairy flavours of butter and cream, and oak flavours of smoke, vanilla and coconut.
This particular Chardonnay is a rich, bold wine from California. It is a blend of grapes grown in Monterrey and the cooler Los Carneros, and has notes of apple, vanilla, butter and peach, and flavours of butter, honey, toast and tropical fruit. Soft and creamy with a long, smooth finish, it is a well-balanced wine. If you like smoky, oaked Chardonnay with plenty of body, this is a fine example and well worth trying.
It is a wine that will go well with a creamy chicken dish, a rich pasta dish or soft cheese.
Available from Majestic (£15.99, Mix Six £13.99)