It’s easy for the “anything but chardonnay” crowd to take their shots. A lot of chardonnay is too oaky or sweet. Expensive chardonnays often are clumsy and heavy, with a burning sensation from high alcohol. And a lot of chardonnay can be downright boring: Sometimes I’ll taste a group of them and have trouble finding anything distinctive about any of the wines.
But the problem isn’t with chardonnay itself. Chardonnay is the grape used in one of my favorite wines, Chablis, where it is transformed into something that’s fresh and racy, with a lot of minerality. The problem is the winemaking — pushing ripeness, slathering on oak and so on. Still, chardonnay remains popular; it’s the top-selling varietal wine in the United States. Is there any incentive to change?
Happily, some California winemakers have taken up the challenge of changing the image of chardonnay. A number of them were pouring at the recent “In Pursuit of Balance” (IPOB) tasting in San Francisco, the fifth year for the event. IPOB’s original focus was on pinot noir, but it has been expanded to include chardonnay.
Given the choice of tasting dozens of pinots or a like number of chardonnays, I’d generally choose the former. But this year, I wanted to see whether it really was possible to put together a large tasting of fresh, balanced chardonnays. I’m pleased to report that it was.
The best examples were racy and full of character. Some were lithe and sleek; others were richer but still lively and fresh — an attractive yin and yang balance. Many were downright exciting.
One of my favorite wines was from Matthiasson in the Napa Valley. Steve Matthiasson notes that “it’s still easier to sell a big, oaky, buttery chardonnay.” He adds that the IPOB vintners are making the wines that they themselves love.
“The whole idea of balance is something that’s really important to me,” says Matthiasson, whose background is in viticulture. As a farmer, it’s also important to him that a wine reflect the site, and he says that “underripe fruit or overripe fruit obscure the terroir.” So does the overuse of oak. His 2013 Matthiasson Linda Vista Vineyard Chardonnay ($27), the only Napa Valley chardonnay at the tasting, displays racy lemon and apple flavors, a mineral note and nice tension. The 2012 Matthiasson Michael Mara Vineyard Chardonnay ($45), which comes from the Sonoma Coast, is richer and more floral.
Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma County, founded in the late 1950s, is a longtime producer of elegant chardonnays. Winemaker Michael McNeill, who has been there since 2008, is gratified to see the shift toward more restrained chardonnays, although “it’s been a little slower coming than I thought it would,” he says.
Thoughtful winemakers, he says, are being more restrained in their use of new oak and paying more attention to the vineyard. Plus, “winemakers are less frightened of picking a little earlier,” McNeill says. He explains the risk of waiting too long to pick: “As you’re waiting, thinking you’re going to gain something, you end up losing something else.” For example, if you delay picking because you want a hint of apricot, you’re going to lose the bright citrus notes.
Hanzell’s 2012 Estate Chardonnay ($78), made from vines with about 35 years of age, offers flavors of lemon and mineral with good weight and balance. There’s also a second wine, the 2013 Sebella Chardonnay ($36), made from younger vines; taking a sip of it is like biting into a Golden Delicious apple.
Another winery at the tasting that has a long history of elegant chardonnay is Mount Eden, from the Santa Cruz Mountains. The 2011 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay ($60) has a lot of weight and density without being at all heavy. The 2012 Domaine Eden Chardonnay ($27), from a nearby mountain vineyard owned by Mount Eden, is lively, lighter and fruitier.
Other wineries that showed racy, expressive chardonnays included Calera, Ceritas, Chanin, Copain, Knez, Lioco, Littorai, Sandhi, Tyler, Varner, Wenzlau and Wind Gap.
One piece of bad news: Many of the top chardonnays at the tasting, such as the Hanzell and Mount Eden, are expensive, and some are sold primarily to mailing lists.
Contact Laurie Daniel at ladaniel@earthlink.net.
Tasting Notes
The tasting booklet for the “In Pursuit of Balance” event included an essay on chardonnay by Matt Licklider of Lioco Wine Co. in which he discussed California chardonnay’s road back from the overblown style that became so pervasive. Chardonnay, he wrote, “has shed the unwanted pounds and with them the stigma of ‘cocktail wine.’ “
Winemakers have accomplished this, he added, by growing grapes in more marginal places, harvesting at lower sugar levels, using judicious amounts of oak and other practices. The resulting wines, Licklider says, are “moderate in alcohol and flush with acidity,” and they “give a clear translation of time and place.” He even credits the “anything but chardonnay” crowd with helping to prompt the changes.
The Lioco crew poured a couple of chardonnays, including the racy, lemony 2013 Lioco Estero Chardonnay ($35).
Varner, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is known for its chardonnays. The 2013 Varner Santa Barbara County Chardonnay ($25) is quite floral and a good buy. The estate wines are more expensive but also more distinctive, especially the racy, lemony 2013 “Home Block” Chardonnay ($45), which is scented with the trees and herbs of the mountains.
The 2013 Copain DuPratt Vineyard Chardonnay ($55) from Anderson Valley is very pure, with lemon and green apple flavors, while the 2013 Ojai Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay ($33) from Santa Maria is quite fleshy and rich, but with a lot of racy acidity and tension. The 2012 Wenzlau Estate Chardonnay ($45) from Santa Rita Hills displayed lemon cream flavors, supported by nice freshness.
Producers of the sleeker style of chardonnay aren’t limited to the members of In Pursuit of Balance. Steve Matthiasson cited Stony Hill Vineyard in the Napa Valley, founded more than 60 years ago, as one notable maker of the “traditional” style of California chardonnay — a throwback to the days before winemakers used such ripe fruit and so much new oak. (Stony Hill wines are mostly sold direct at www.stonyhillvineyard.com; the current chardonnay, from 2012, is $42.)
For a newer producer, seek out the chardonnay from Comartin Cellars, where the focus actually is grenache. The 2012 Comartin Cellars Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay ($32) is racy, lemony, structured and persistent.
You could also take a look at Oregon chardonnay. Although there are some oaky wines, most of the examples I’ve tasted hew to a fresher style. Two good ones are the 2012 Stoller Family Reserve Chardonnay ($35) and the 2013 Adelsheim Caitlin’s Reserve Chardonnay ($45).
