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Chardonnay
2081 visitors
Chardonnay is a versatile grape. In cold regions such as Chablis, it shows crisp acidity and flavours of green hay with the flinty notes typical of the terroir - the wine even has a green tinge. Just 100 miles south, in the Côte de Beaune, the white Burgundies are much riper and richer, reflecting warmer conditions and the increasing use of oak.
Chardonnay wines taste very different when the vines are grown in hot climates such as those in the plains of California and Australia. The conditions ensure ripe grapes, which lead to high levels of alcohol in the wine, and rich flavours of peach, melon, citrus and tropical fruits. In the 1980's and 1990's many New World winemakers responded to these bold flavours with equally bold use of oak, ageing the wine for long periods in new oak barrels. The cheap way to add "oakiness" would be the addition of staves or wood chips to wine in stainless steel containers. The intention was to impart complexity to the wines by introducing desirable aromas of vanilla, caramel, and butteriness. Too often the result tasted like chewing on a piece of wood, and this led to something of a consumer backlash against heavy, oaky Chardonnays. Winemakers in Australia and New Zealand reacted with completely unoaked Chardonnays from cooler climates, whereas in the United States there was more emphasis on controlling the oaking process. Thus they experimented with oak from different sources (French, American, Central European oaks all have different effects on wine), with different treatments (for instance toasting the barrels imparts smokiness and toast flavours) and reduced the oak influence by using bigger barrels (which have less oak per volume of wine), oaking only some of the wine in the blend, or using a mix of harsh new oak and older barrels. | | More information on Chardonnay | | Food Pairing: Pairs well with any poultry and Vietnamese cuisine. Wonderful with fruits, strong cheeses and capers. Also works beautifully with grilled freshwater fish. On a hot day, a very cold chardonnay served with a plate of figs, balsamic vinegar, and a salty hard cheese is a refreshing repast. |
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283 wines
| Mario Perelli-Minetti Winery |
2005 Chardonnay
Napa Valley
This is not a cocktail wine, it is not sweet. It is not heavily oaked. It is lean and crisp, produced 100% from Napa Chardonnay grapes grown in the Yountville area made in the styl ...moree of the fine French White Burgundies. 30% of the grapes were barrel fermented and aged on the lees in French oak barrels.
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| Zayante Vineyards |
2003 Santa Cruz Mountain Estate Chardonnay
Santa Cruz Mountains
A beautiful aroma of crisp green apples and pears fill the nose. The luscious flavors on the palate are highlighted by toasty oak and a slight flinty complexity from our soil. The ...morelong finish is reminiscent of a fine French white burgundy. 14.3% alcohol by volume.
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| Roudon-Smith Winery |
2003 Chardonnay
Russian River
2005 Bronze Medal, SF Commercial Wine Competition & Santa Cruz County Fair.
A luscious California style wine filled with toasted oak, butter, tropical
fruits, honey a ...morend nectarines.
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| Roudon-Smith Winery |
2004 Chardonnay, Estate Grown
Santa Cruz Mountains
A complex Chardonnay filled with flinty minerals and acids resulting in a
nice grapefruit finish.
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| Tin Roof Wines |
2006 Chardonnay
Our 2006 Chardonnay displays fresh apple and ripe peach aromas with subtle creme brulee and toasted almond tones. The wine’s bright, creamy mid-palate flavors segue into a long, el ...moreegant finish that makes this Chardonnay a marvelous accompaniment to fish and chicken dishes, game birds, pork and cream-sauce pastas.
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| Calera Wine Company |
1995 Chardonnay
Mt. Harlan
Wine Spectator reviewed this wine in 1998 as follows: "Smooth, ripe, rich and concentrated, with a focused core of spicy pear, hazelnut, fig, melon and light toasty oak. Complex an ...mored inviting, finishing with a spicy flavor and fine length. 90 points." Laurie Daniel, writing just two months ago (Sept. 7, 2005) in the San Jose Mercury-News, wrote: "They also poured a 1995 Mt. Harlan Chardonnay to let me see how the wine ages. It was rich, fleshy and still vibrant."
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| Pessagno Winery |
2005 Chardonnay Lucia Highland Vineyard
Lucia Highland Vineyard is located in the northern region of the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation of Monterey County and just a stone’s throw across the street from our winery. Ou ...morer second release of the Lucia Highlands Vineyard Chardonnay is rich and elegant, offering deep concentrated layers of apple, ripe pear, and pineapple, with a hint of caramel from oak aging. The lingering butterscotch finish, coupled with firm natural acidity, will invite you back for continued enjoyment. Pair this wine with grilled chicken, pork, or creamy pasta dishes.
462 cases produced
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| Wedell Cellars |
2002 Wedell Cellars Edna Valley Chardonnay
The 2002 vintage marks the third vintage that all of our fruit comes from our own hillside vineyards. In our continuing efforts to produce a world class wine we have aggressively p ...moreruned our vineyards to keep our yields low and our quality at its peak, this resulted in keeping our yields to less than two tons per acre. Upon harvest we whole cluster press, use indigenous yeast for primary fermentation, then induce malolactic fermentation to soften the high acids that result from our north facing hillside vineyards. The wine was completely barrel fermented and completed primary fermentation on October 25TH 2002. We then induced mallolactic fermentation and that finished completely on December 30th 2002. The lees were stirred biweekly through January 2004. In keeping with our philosophy that less is more, we bottled this wine unfined and unfiltered on May 11, 2004.
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| Antelope Valley Winery |
2006 Chardonnay
This is our third vintage from 100% Antelope Valley grown Chardonnay grapes. This is an exceptional white wine that shows the great fruit complexity that is present as our vineyard ...more matures.
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| River Grove Winery |
2005 Chardonnay
River Grove Winery's 2005 Chardonnay brings you the new direction in Chardonnay wine - a fresh, crisp and fruitful taste of pear and melon with just a hint of oak. The nose is clea ...moren and stimulating, and the color shows a passing whim of green against a starbright body.
This wine pairs particularly well with oysters and shellfish, and is a natural with salads and appetizers. It is delicious just by itself as a cooling and refreshing wine for warm days.
Winemaker's Selection, Estate Bottled and initially released in late summer of 2006, this wine has already become one of our favorites.
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| Dunning Vineyards Estate Winery |
2004 Estate Chardonnay
100% barrel fermented this wine is full bodied, with layers of pear, melon, nutmeg and mineral flavors with a night touch of creamy French oak. 389 cases produced.
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| Laura’s Vineyard |
2005 Chardonnay
Paso Robles
Laura's Vineyard 2005 Chardonnay is stainless steel fermented and aged, to bring bright, acid-driven fruit to the forefront. Full-bodied and flavorful, with nicely mixed stone frui ...morets, pineapple, green apples and lemony citrus.
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| Page Mill Winery |
2006 Chardonnay
This Chardonnay is a traditional French Style chardonnay with a dry finish and limited oak use. With soft fruit in the front and a hint of oak on the mid palate, this Chardonnay is ...more round and rich with a soft, creamed butter through the finish and medium acids.
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| Ledson Winery & Vineyards |
2004 Chardonnay, Carneros Reserve
Carneros Region
Aromas of apples and peaches lead into a smoky, vanilla finish. Two different fermentation processes lend complexity and richness to this wine. The wild yeast fermentation brings f ...moreorth subtle fruit nuances while the prise de mousse fermentation highlights the bolder citrus flavors of lemon and grapefruit.
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| Ledson Winery & Vineyards |
2005 Mendocino Chardonnay Reserve
Mendocino
Mendocino County is highly respected for its Chardonnay grapes. Typical of the region, our 2005 Mendocino Chardonnay is crisp and bold with generous fruit flavors. The long, cool g ...morerowing season produces wonderful acidity, while delicate flavors of fuji apple, pear, and just a touch of lemony citrus linger on the palate. This Reserve selection exhibits an extremely smooth and well-balanced finish. This would be a wonderful food wine and would complement grilled halibut nicely.
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| Bedford Thompson Winery |
2002 Chardonnay
Los Alamos Hills
This rich, full-blown Chardonnay doesn't hold back. Abundant tropical fruit flavors and voluptuous texture are typical of Chardonnay from the Los Alamos wine region, and we embrace ...more it. The 2002 harkens back to our 2000 vintage that scored 90 points in Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. The wine shows the flavors of quince, pineapple, lemon, coconut, butter and mineral tones. A complete barrel fermentation (38% new French oak) and malolactic fermentation gives rise to a creamy texture, flavors that are expansive, and a long finish. Nine months in French oak provides a toasty vanilla component.
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| Edna Valley Vineyard |
2005 Chardonnay
Edna Valley
The 2005 Edna Valley Vineyard Chardonnay is significant for its sense of place. As is typical when making good Chardonnays, we used techniques such as barrel fermentation, malolact ...moreic fermentation, lees stirring and new oak barrels. Our goal is to balance these techniques with the unique flavors that come from Edna Valley.
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| Edna Valley Vineyard |
2005 Reserve Chardonnay
Edna Valley
Edna Valley Chardonnay is significant for its distinct sense of place. In crafting the 2005 Edna Valley Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay, we hand-picked the grapes and sent them direct ...moreto press as whole clusters. As is typical of good Chardonnays, we use techniques like 100% barrel fermentation, malolactic fermentation (44%), lees stirring and use of new oak barrels (65%). We cold stabilized and filtered the wine prior to bottling.This wine is intended to be our most intensely flavored Chardonnay, with concentrated grape flavors of peach and citrus, enhanced by lots of smoky oak and vanilla from new French barrels and mellow, caramel and hazelnut flavors from malolactic fermentation. The wine is round on the palate and long in the finish, with a crisp acidity that keeps it from being cloying. This lovely wine is the perfect accompaniment to crab cakes with lemon aioli, fresh cooked lobster and crispy roasted chicken.
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| White Crane Winery |
2003 Chardonnay Estate
Livermore Valley
Pear & green apple flavors, with a hint of toasty oak & butter finish. Pairs well with chicken, fish and cheeses. Full-bodied and complex.
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