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Wine Guide > Chardonnay

Chardonnay

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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 CÃ´te 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 1980â€™s and 1990â€™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

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Graeser Winery

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2002 Chardonnay

Our 2002 Chardonnay shows a wonderful buttered green apple and flower blossom nose. Medium bodied, full flavored, fruit driven with a pure, fresh finish. The wine has perfect balan ...morece of ripeness and acidity making it perfect for picnic lunches, pre-dinner conversation, salads and pasta with light cream sauces.

Black Coyote Wines

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2004 Black Coyote Chardonnay
Monterey County

Black Coyote Chateau is a consortium of a dynamic four-some; a union of truly accomplished ingredients; no sole component standing alone could possibly rival the sum of its whole. ...moreDr. Ernest A. Bates, Dr. Olin Robison, Jack Ruffl e, and Stanley Trotman have collaborated in their passion for excellence and gracious living in order to produce superlative wines, under the name of Black Coyote Chateau.

Villa Toscano Winery

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2005 Sierra Foothills Chardonnay
Sierra Foothills

This mouth-filling wine exhibits an excellent display of the fruit that will remind you of the first time you tried and thoroughly enjoyed a Chardonnay.

This styling let ...mores you fully explore the flavor, charactor and feel of Chardonnay done right.

Byron Winery

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2003 Chardonnay
Santa Maria Valley

Chardonnay vines bear small, round, greenish-gold fruit. While the vines are extremely adaptable to different growing conditions, they produce the best wines when grown in a cool, ...morefoggy climate on lean soil. Byron's growing regions produce excellent Chardonnay: vibrant, bright, and aromatic, with a complex fragrance and a luscious creaminess.

^$24.99

Rutherford Hill Winery

CAW Rating: 96

100

1 reviews

2005 Chardonnay
Napa Valley

This wine was made with traditional Burgundian practices. Healthy fermentations allowed Sur lie aging from harvest until the first racking 9 months later. Battonage, stirring of th ...moree lees, occurred two times a month to integrate extra body and complexity. Some of the finest French oak barrels from the regions of Vosges, Nevers and Centere of France yield the roasted nuts and spices. Fruit and minerality are the signature of Rutherford Hill's Chardonnay vineyards. The 2005 Rutherford Hill Chardonnay will accompany Thanksgiving or any Holiday meal.

^$19.49

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

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2005 Riverstone Chardonnay
Central Coast California

The 2005 J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay has an attractive, youthful, brassy yellow color. The fresh aromas of lime zest, nectarine, peach and apple combined with the perfum ...moreed vanilla and toasted oak bouquet from the barrel fermentation, malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging create an elegant Chardonnay from Montereyâ€™s Arroyo Seco AVA. The flavors are very clean with peach, nectarine and citrus with subtle butter and vanilla toastiness, producing layers of complexity with an excellent balance of fresh fruit acidity and palate-weight. This wine is ideal for pairing with richly-textured fish and seafood or cream-sauced pasta dishes.

^$14.79

Acacia Winery

CAW Rating: 86

100

1 reviews

2005 Chardonnay
Acacia Vineyard

At Acacia Vineyard our aim is to create a rich, concentrated and focused Chardonnay from our remarkable Carneros fruit. We hand harvested the fruit for our 2005 Carneros Chardonnay ...more, then allowed three hours of skin contact to extract flavors from the skin. A brief period of aeration enabled us to extract those delicious flavors and precipitate out any tannins associated with skin contact. The result is a full-flavored Chardonnay with both concentration and elegance.

Vibrant aromas of crÃ¨me brÃ»lÃ©e, ginger, lemon curd and white peach are followed by a creamy entry which blossoms to a full, sweet, peach, nectarine and citrus mid-palate. Medium-bodied with vibrant acidity, the wine finishes long and full. Our 2005 Chardonnay is perfect with all types of seafood, fish, chicken and pork.

^$18.99

Keller Estate

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2005 La Cruz Vineyard Chardonnay
La Cruz Vineyard

Produced in the traditional Burgundian style: barrel fermented in 30% new French oak, with malolactic fermentation and extended sur-lee aging that creates a rich, creamy texture wi ...moreth vanilla, caramel and hazelnut flavors.

^$29.00

Keller Estate

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2004 Precioso Chardonnay
Keller Estate

The Precioso Chardonnay is an elegant marriage of mineral, pear and tangerine,with hints of oak. A bit shy on introduction, with time in the glass the apple and lemon notes awaken ...moreand present themselves. While rich and sensuous on the palate, the wine displays a youthful firmness and long finish. Enjoy its optimal beauty between 2007 and 2012. The fruit for this wine, from our oldest vineyard, was fermented and aged 15 months in a new Sequin Moreau â€œGrand Cruâ€ barrel. Twenty-four cases of magnums were bottled unfiltered and unfined.

^$150.00

Zucca Mountain Vineyards

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2005 Chardonnay

Our Chardonnay comes from a cool vineyard in Calaveras County where the site is well know for the production of this grape. The vines are 20 years old and produce a spicy and flavo ...morerful wine. It has lively, tangy acidity with flavors of apple and a touch of melon. The flavors and crispness of the Chardonnay come from cold fermentation and aging in stainless steel. It is a dry, well-balanced wine that should be served slightly chilled. This wine pairs well with most fish dishes, salads and chicken.

^$16.00

BearBoat Winery

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2002 Bearboat Chardonnay
Russian River

Delicate and balanced; hints of light butter and toast; a user-friendly chardonnay. Light and fruity - the finish is clean and the flavors are rich.

^$18.99

The La Rochelle Winery

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2004 Chardonnay
Monterey County

In the nose, this Chardonnay is rampantly fragrant, showing pineapple, guava, and white flowers. The subtlest hint of roasted hazelnuts in the nose is amplified on the tongue, and ...morethe vibrant acidity of the wine makes this a great style of Chardonnay for food.

^$20.00

Waugh Cellars

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2005 Russian River Chardonnay

This latest vintage follows the 2004, which received numerous high scores for its classic California Chardonnay styling, nice acidity and tropical fruit notes. As always, there was ...more no Malo-lactic fermentation and no new oak was used in the aging of the wine. The 2005 exhibits a pale lemon gold color and is defined by an explosion of ripe citrus and floral tones with an oily texture and dense weight that is balanced by incredibly structured acidity. With its incredibly long and silky finish, you will enjoy this bottle through its last drop.

^$30.00

Hice Cellars

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2005 Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay. Seperated at the time of pressing, half was barrel fermented, the other half was tank fermented. A welcomed change of pace to the big Sur-Lee Chardonnays. This cri ...moresp and fruity wine is great with heavy cream sauces, and has just the right amount of lightly oaked character. Great on a hot day!

^$15.00

Auriga Wine Cellars

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2004 Chardonnay

This chardonnay is barrel aged in French and American oak. It exhibits tropical fruit notes and pineapple with soft butterscotch. A clean, crisp, lingering finish, is attributed to ...more the well blended balance of this wine. Enjoy now, served slightly chilled.

White Cottage Ranch Winery

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2006 Chardonnay

The luscious fruit from Carneros makes this Chardonnay a beautiful golden color with rich, supple flavors of apple, crisp pear and honeydew melon. There is a subtle hint of toasted ...more oak, which makes the texture rich and creamy, balancing the fruit beautifully. The finish is bright and flavorful perfect for those warm summer evenings on the porch!

^$28.00

Ledson Winery & Vineyards

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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.

^$38.00

Ledson Winery & Vineyards

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2005 Russian River Chardonnay Reserve
Russian River Valley

This Chardonnay is an assemblage of four different clones grown from vineyards along the Russian River. What emerges is a wine generous and complex with upfront flavors of apple, p ...moreeach, pear and melon. Additional aging for this Reserve wine leads to a creamy and buttery texture that lingers throughout the long, toasted vanilla finish. This would pair beautifully with grilled chicken or fish dishes.

^$44.00

Tolosa Winery

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2004 Tolosa 1772 Chardonnay
Edna Valley

We prefer to serve this â€œ1772â€ Chardonnay at cool room temperature, ~60-65F or so, in an oversized glass that will frame the aromas of lemon curd, marmalade, and cardamom pod. ...moreWe like the sense of balance between all the elements in this wine; it displays both a honeyed sweetness and herbal notes; structured acidity with a rich smoothness; and an interplay between the apricot / white peach and subtle, harmonious French oak. It would be fantastic with wilted bitter greens, tossed with a sprinkling of sea salt and olive oil.

^$42.00

Tolosa Winery

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2005 Tolosa Chardonnay
Edna Valley

Light white-gold. Viscous in the mouth, rich with crÃ¨me brulÃ©e and lemon curd. Lime-zest acidity, cardamom pod, tangerine and peach cobbler, with elegant oak tones in the backgro ...moreund. Enjoy at cool room temperature from large Montrachet-style stemware.

^$22.00

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2006 Chardonnay
Chiles Valley District

CAW Rating: 100

100

1 reviews

This wine is characterized by a crystal clear brilliant canary diamond color and an impressive nose of Key lime, tropical pineapple, honeysuckle, kiwi and Meyer lemon zest. It is bright, spare and lean with unmistakable chardonnay roundness. This is a refreshingly deep wine with a subtle creamy text ...

More Chardonnay Ratings

Combined Rating
100.0 1 reviews	2006 Estate Chardonnay Wiens Family Cellars
Flavor
5.0 1 reviews	2006 Estate Chardonnay Wiens Family Cellars
Impression
5.0 1 reviews	2006 Estate Chardonnay Wiens Family Cellars
Bouquet
5.0 1 reviews	2006 Estate Chardonnay Wiens Family Cellars

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