TURSTQUEEN SPILLS THE TEA ON THE 3 MAIN TYPES OF CHARDONNAY & WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR YOU
CHARDONNAY IS NICKNAMED “THE QUEEN OF GRAPES”
The two main grapes that everybody talks about are Cabernet Sauvignon - known as the “King of Grapes” and Chardonnay, known as the “Queen of Grapes.” Chardonnay is one of the most versatile grapes around and is a bit of a chameleon of sorts. It can be made into a variety of styles, including sparkling and some dessert wines.
Chardonnay used to be incredibly popular in the 1970s, but recently enthusiasm for this grape has been a bit on the decline. I always wondered why people were shifting away from this versatile, complex white grape and I think the reason is because Chardonnay comes in so many styles. If you consider yourself a person who doesn’t like Chardonnay, maybe consider trying a different style before writing it off completely.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CHARDONNAY:
THE TEXTURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CHARDONNAY
Chardonnay is a full-bodied grape. The more wine you drink, the more you will start to understand terms like, “body,” and “acidity.” In terms of a wine’s “body,” simply think of it as being the weight of the wine in your mouth. Both Red Wines and White Wines can be “full bodied.” Chardonnay’s got some weight and is considered one of the more fuller-bodied white wine grapes. She’s a bodacious babe if you get my drift. In terms of acid — and no, I’m not talking about psychedelics — Chardonnay is right in the middle of the spectrum. Pretty balanced. Chardonnay also has a relatively high alcohol content.
THE AROMAS OF CHARDONNAY
Chardonnay has a variety of flavors associated with it, but some of the more common flavors - we often call them aromas - are lemon, apple, and even pineapple in warmer regions. Depending on how Chardonnay is treated - or aged - certain other flavors ranging from saline (like salt water) to butter, or even pie crust can be found as well. If you think all Chardonnay is buttery and you’ve written it off completely — maybe you should give it a second shot, but in a different style. It might surprise you.
THE THREE MOST COMMON CHARDONNAY STYLES:
OAKY & BUTTERY
Oaky and buttery Chardonnays have definitely got quite a bit of body. They are all about that “va va voom” factor. The reason why these wines are“fuller bodied,” is because of that oak aging and a special little thing that usually happens called malolactic fermentation.
Let’s take a second to talk about malolactic fermentation — or if you want to be a pro, “ML” for short. Have you ever heard of a Chardonnay described as, “buttery?” That’s usually because of this process. ML happens when the tart malic acid — the acid typically found in grapes and green apples — in the wine gets converted into the softer, more buttery lactic acid that is found in milk, cheese and yogurt. Eventually, a compound called diacetyl is produced, which leaves that flavor of BUTTAH!
If you like buttery popcorn, white chocolate, creme brûlée and feeling a little extra, maybe you should give some Oaked Chardonnays a try.
Major Oaked Chardonnay Vibes^
OTHER WINES TO DRINK IF YOU LIKE OAKY CHARDONNAY:
So you’ve tried Oaked Chardonnays and love, love, LOVE them! Congratulations! You may want to give these other types of white wines a try: Viognier from the Rhone Valley, White Rioja from Spain, and Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley.
UNOAKED & BRIGHT
This is where shit gets really interesting. Back in the day when I used to work the streets — selling wine, sheesh — unoaked Chardonnays were everything. It was all that people wanted to drink and all the buyers wanted an unoaked Chardonnay on their menu. They were more affordable, lighter bodied, zesty, pleasantly acidic, and so darn drinkable!
I’ve seen so many wine drinkers tell me, “I don’t like Chardonnay because it’s oaky and buttery.” Then I would turn them on to some of the unoaked stuff and boy, their brains would explode!
Unoaked Chardonnays are often aged in stainless steel because, well, it’s less expensive and it also preserves the freshness of the fruit. They are usually more acidic than their oaked counterparts and are lively and energetic little wines.
While you may be getting all that butter and creme from the oaked Chardonnays, the unoaked Chardonnays typically are more citrusy and fruity. You can pick up on flavors like lemon, saline, and mineral. They’re a lot leaner and drier than their oaked counterparts.
Unoaked Chardonnays can be found everywhere, you just gotta know where to look and not be afraid to ask the question, “Is this oaked?”
If you’re into citrus, green apple, potato chips and are a straight-shooter, no bullshit sort of individual who is financially pragmatic, I suggest giving these expressions of Chardonnay a try.
OTHER WINES TO DRINK IF YOU LIKE UNOAKED CHARDONNAY:
So you’ve got a thing for Unoaked Chardonnays. Fantastic. You may want to give these other types of white wines a try: Assyrtiko from Greece, Gruner Vetliner from Austria, Muscadet from the Loire Valley.
SPARKLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m fairly certain you can judge my enthusiasm for sparkly wines because of the sheer amount of exclamation points I’ve put in this subheading. I also did my first blogpost on … well… sparkly wines. Lemme break it down for you: Champagne is my love language. Like, seriously it is.
Here’s some more fun wine facts that you can share with anybody who will care to listen: Chardonnay is one of the three varietals allowed to be used in the making of Champagne.
The other two varietals besides Chardonnay are Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. If you’ve ever seen a bottle of Champagne labeled “Blanc de Blanc,” that’s because it has 100% Chardonnay in it.
Blanc de Blancs besides their magical bubbles, have a creamier and toastier quality to them. You can expect to taste honeycomb, warm vanilla, and ripe Meyer lemons. Whenever I have them, I usually pick up on hazelnuts.
Blanc de Blancs are a bit pricer, but are absolutely gorgeous and go amazing with food like fried chicken and french fries.
If you go back to my first blogpost Poppin’ Bottles, you’ll find a great Blanc de Blanc under $30 that happens to be a Crémant. It’s highly worth the order.
OTHER WINES TO DRINK IF YOU LIKE SPARKLY WINES
If a super expensive Blanc de Blanc is not in your budget — don’t trip it’s not in mine either — why not give a Cremant a try? It’s made the same way as Champagne, just outside of the Champagne region. There are plenty of Cremants that have Chardonnay in them - with other varietals like Pinot Noir as well - and a lot of them are under $30. So if you’re a bubbles kind of person, Cremants are your best friend. Keep an eye out for them. Now let’s talk about the—
PICK OF THE WEEK: Baileyana Firepeak Chardonnay 2017 $18.99 Bristol Farms
Hold up — Chardonnay just got a facelift.
The Baileyana Firepeak Chardonnay is an updated, more modern take on Chardonnay. If Chardonnay could be, “cool,” or, “hip,” I’d definitely say this wine would fit into that category. This wine does have a bit of oak aging on it, with 30% New French oak for about 9 months, but you’d barely notice it.
The oak provides just enough vanilla and enhances the natural beauty of the varietal. Like a really beautiful woman with just a touch of makeup, this Chardonnay is not “overdone.” It’s classy af, but also pretty affordable. What really impresses me about this wine is the restraint.
When we talk about restraint in a wine, usually we’re referring to the fact that it’s not a particularly flashy wine that rushes to express itself in the beginning. If you were at a party with this wine, it wouldn’t be the loudest person in the room getting super drunk and doing a bunch of keg stands, it would be dancing off to the side, glancing over its shoulder, batting its eyelashes, and giving you a, “come hither,” stare. The reason for this restraint could be because the wine comes from the Edna Valley, which was sited in a study by Southern Oregon University to be the coolest climate growing region in the state of California.
The soil here is volcanic, so the Chardonnay grown in the Firepeak vineyard has a super attractive mineral driven quality and great acidity. Another thing I like about this producer — the Niven family — is that all their wines are SIP Certified Sustainable, so you can feel good knowing you’re choosing wines from a producer who is environmentally conscious. I picked this wine is because it’s a great example of a balanced Chardonnay that has just a bit of oak. The oak adds dimension, structure, and focus to this wine and it’s not just some fruit or acid bomb.
Despite all this, the wine is bright and fruity, but because it’s grown in such a cold climate you’re getting a lot more lemony flavors from this wine instead of pineapple. The minerality is on point, and it resembles the French style of Chardonnay much more than those oaky, creamy, Cali Chards. It’s not some over-the-top butter bomb, but there’s just a kiss of marshmallow, which makes this wine super pretty and a great value for $18.99.