Chardonnay Flashcards
Describe in general it’s nose, body, texture and how it ages.
Not an aromatic variety. It’s delicacy allows it to express oak and yeast-derived flavors and subtle “mineral” nuances from its soil. Full-bodied with a weighty, creamy texture. The best age well and develop honeyed nutty, savory complexity.
Chardonnay climate variations.
Cool: low alcohol and body, high acidity, green fruit, citrus and occasionally vegetal. Moderate, such as Burgundy and some premiere NW regions: may taste of white stone fruit (peach), citrus notes, hints of melon.Warm: tropical fruit notes (peach, banana, pineapple, even mango and fig).
Where do the flavors of Chardonnay come from? What are they?
Wine-making techniques. Malolactic fermentation, lees, oak.
What is malolactic fermentation?
Process which is sometimes used to soften harsh acids. There are a 100 types of fermentation. Alcohol is just one of them.
What does lees fermentation or refining on the lees provide?
Can add creamy texture and savory flavors, and soften the wine.
Chardonnay and oak
- Toast, vanilla and coconut flavors from new oak.- Old oak - oxygenation
- Not all premium chardonnays taste of oak
- Excess oak can obliterate the delicate regional fruit flavors
- Chablis works because of its purity of fruit and little or no oak
- When the oak is of sufficient quality, the wine can be fermented and aged in small new oak barrels and the oak and fruit will be in balance
What is the classic Chardonnay region?
White Burgundy. Finds its highest expression and is the most expensive.
How is Chardonnay labeled in White Burgundy?
- Region
- District
- Village
- Vineyard
What are the 4 quality levels for Chardonnay?
- Regional (Bourgogne)
- Village wines
- Premier cru
- Grand cru
What are the characteristics of White Burgundy?
Smoky, toasty, buttery, nutty and mineralic elements with firm acidity that hold everything together.
What are the sources of white burgundy in Burgundy?
- Chablis
- The Côte d’Or
- Mâconnais
- Beaujolais
- Bugey
- Côte Chalonnaise
Characteristics of Chablis?
- cool climate
- bone-dry
- high acidity
- can be quite austere
- green fruit and citrus notes- limestone gives a recognizable smoky, flinty, mineral signature
- mineral characteristics more pronounced in wines labeled Premier Cru or Grand Cru
About Côte d’Or:
- Heart of Burgundy
- Narrow band of gently sloping hillside (60 small AC’s)
- North: Côte de Nuits, South: Côte de Beaune
- Ideal, moderate climate for high-quality Chardonnay, mainly from Côte de Beaune
- Sold under the name of the village
- The most famous are Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet
- Chardonnay from Montrachet vineyard are judged as the finest dry whites in the world. Expensive.
Characteristics of Côte d’Or Chardonnay:
- Aged in french oak and the lees
- Full-bodied, citrus, white stone and tropical fruit, oak, spice and savory notes.
About Mâconnais:
- Most southernly major region
- Source of large volumes of moderately priced, light, fruity (melon, citrus) Chardonnay
- Little or no oak
- Sold as Mâcon
- Pouilly-Fuissé offers full-bodied, with tropical fruit (pineapple and melon) and oak flavors.
- Series of steep sun trap slopes at the far south of the Mâconnais (just north of Beaujolais)
