Chardonnay Flashcards
If you like the idea of butter in your glass, you’ll love the classic style of :
Oak-aged Chardonnay
If words like “Pinot Grigio” make you feel woozy with love, than your perfect Chardonnay is the :
Unoaked kind
A very ripe chardonnay will have flavors more toward ______________ like :
Tropical fruits ; pineapple, guava, and mango
A barely ripe Chardonnay will have ___________________________ flavors.
Green apple and lemon
Fruit flavors (berries, fruit, citrus) of Chardonnay?
apple, fig, jackfruit, lemon, passionfruit, peach, pear, pineapple
Other flavors (herb, spice, flower, mineral, earth, other) of Chardonnay?
almond, Apple blossom, beeswax, celery, citrus peel, honeysuckle, jasmine, leaf, lemon balm, lemon zest, saline solution, wet flint rocks, vanilla bean
Oak flavors (flavors added with oak aging) of Chardonnay?
Baked tart, butter, caramelized sugar, coconut, creme brûlée, dill, pie crust, praline, vanillaj
Serving temperature for Chardonnay?
Unoaked: 48°F
Oaked: 54°F
Acidity of Chardonnay?
Medium low (oaked warm climate) - medium high (unoaked cool climate)
Varieties similar to Chardonnay?
Antão Vaz (Portugal), Fiano (Italy), Marsanne, Roussanne, Semillon, Viognier
What type of texture does Malolactic Fermentation give wine?
An oily texture
When does malolactic fermentation occur? Before or after the wine is fermented?
After
Malolactic fermentation gives Chardonnay a texture that can be described as :
Oily, creamy, smooth, or waxy
Malolactic Fermentation turns ______________________ to ______________________. (In reference to acid)
Tart malic acid (the acid in apples) ; smooth lactic acid (the acid in milk)
If you want a rounder, more creamy-feeling wine, look for wines that :
Have gone through malolactic fermentation.
Best meat pairings for Chardonnay?
Atlantic salmon, chicken breast, clams, cod, crab, halibut, lobster, oily flaky fish, oysters (unoaked), pork loin, scallops, shrimp, sturgeon, trout, turkey breast
Best spice and herb pairings for Chardonnay?
Lemon zest, marjoram, parsley, poultry seasoning, shallots, tarragon, thyme, white pepper
Best cheese pairings for Chardonnay?
Soft-semi soft ; cows milk cheese and goat cheese
Vegetable and vegetarian fare pairings for Chardonnay?
Almonds, asparagus, chanterelles, peas, seitan, sun chokes, truffles, white mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini
________________________ is far closer to the zesty style of Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc.
Unoaked Chardonnay
______________________ are rich, full-bodied and have additional flavors of vanilla, butter, and even caramel.
Oaked Chardonnays
Unoaked Chardonnay tends to have less ‘_____________’ than Sauvignon Blanc.
‘Green flavors’
A cool climate, buttery Chardonnay will have more __________________ versus a warm climate Chardonnay, which will have more ______________________.
Citrus flavors ; tropical fruit flavors
Most unoaked Chardonnay is from:
Cooler climate wine regions
Notable Wine regions that produce unoaked Chardonnay
Colchagua and Casablanca Valley, Chile Loire and Chablis, France Oregon Sonoma Coast, California Western Australia
Best unoaked Chardonnay brands in IWCB portfolio:
Best of best: Brocard, Albert Bichot
Great Value: Four Vines “Naked”
Best buttery Chardonnay brands in IWCB portfolio:
Best of best: Meursault (Chames, Perrieres, Genevrieres), Far Niente, Cakebread
Middle of the road: Neyers, Au Bon Climat
Many oaked Chardonnays come from warmer climate wine regions such as:
Burgundy, France (Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and Mâconnais)
Mendoza Argentina
Napa Valley, Paso Robles, and Lake County in California
Puglia, Italy
Southern and Eastern Australia
