Chardonnay

Next weekend, the Niagara region will be hosting the Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration from July 19 through the 21st. 

This is an international event, with 62 wineries from many parts of the world participating.

Many tastings and luncheons at various wineries are featured, as a well as a panel discussion at Brock University from 9 to 2:30 on the 19th. 

Tickets for the various events will be in the $100 range for each. 

You can check out the schedule and order tickets at the coolchardonnay.org website. 

The ontarioculinary.com website is also helpful.

The Cool Climate proponents believe that their wines are often lower in alcohol, with intensity of fruit, more acidity and herbaceous flavours in a generally fresher style.

This might be a good time to take a closer look at Chardonnay, which is by far the most heavily represented white grape in the LCBO with over 700 listings.

Locally, the selection is more modest, but there are still over 80 examples to choose from.

Chardonnay is the white grape of Burgundy in France, but from there it has made its way all over the world. 

Ironically, white Burgundies usually don’t even carry the name,

“Chardonnay”, as it is the predominant white grape of the region; instead, they carry some combination of the name of the district, the vineyard, and the producer.

Louis Jadot offers both a Macon Villages  2011, $16.10 which sees no wood, and its Bourgogne 2011, $17.95 in Vintages, which has both oak and stainless steel treatment. 

They could provide a good stylistic comparison.

At the Station Mall store you can also find Louis Latour 2011 Chardonnay Bourgogne, $15.45 until July 21. 

The previous vintage has been described as “succulent and balanced”, having undergone full malo-lactic fermentation to create a more creamy texture.

While still part of Burgundy, the Chablis region produces its own distinct chardonnays.

These will be ideal seafood wines, as they accentuate minerality and crispness. 

Bouchard Pere & Fils Petit Chablis 2010, $17.95 hails from the outer regions of Chablis, and the soil is somewhat different from the rest of the area. 

From the classic heart of the area, Roland Lavantureux Chablis 2010, $19.95 in Vintages was recommended in the Wine Spectator as having a “caressing texture…terrific balance, and a fine lingering finish.”

There are four good Burgundies on the July 20 release, ranging in price from $23 to $50. 

None, though, are slated for the Soo. 

The Maurice Guerrin &Fils Le Clos Vessats Saint Verain 2011, $22.95 appeals (LCBO 336363). 

If you’re eager, you must call the store by Monday afternoon to put in a customer order.

Chardonnay has migrated all over the world. 

It is very versatile and can be highly productive – at times, too much so. 

Thomas Bachelder, who makes chardonnays in Niagara, France, and Oregon, has referred to it as that “lovable weed”.

Selecting the right clone, for example, can make all the difference between an abundance of mediocre fruit, or a reduced crop of higher quality.

So the wines made can sell for just a few dollars, or they can be quite expensive.

Gray Fox Chardonnay, 2011, is just $8.05 from California, region unspecified. 

It has 9 grams of sugar per litre, compared to about 3 for the Chablis. 

It will be simple and fruity. 

Barefoot Chardonnay is another simple example at $9.95, with even more sugar – 11 grams per litre. It is medium bodied and smooth with a bit of lemon on the finish.

These would represent the lower threshold for Chardonnay, along with wines such as Yellowtail, $9.95 with its 10g/l of sugar.

There are many Chardonnays under $15 from various corners of the globe, including Niagara. 

Most from our neck of the woods would have seen none of it -   wood that is. 

One of Chardonnay’s attractions for winemakers is that it responds well to a variety of treatments. 

With new oak barrels likely running in the $ 1000 range for American oak to nearly $1500 for French oak, you can understand why less expensive chardonnays, especially here in Canada, where we also have higher labour costs, are likely going to be the product of stainless steel fermentation and aging.

A fine exception is Chateau des Charmes 2010 barrel-fermented Chardonnay, $13.95. 

Here is an excellent wine that emphasizes fruit, but still has the warmth and creamy texture that comes from judicious oak treatment.

Trius 2011 Chardonnay, from Hillebrand also $13.95, has a hint of oak, which picks up the spices but retains some green apple freshness.

At the same price point, the unoaked Coyote’s Run Chardonnay 2011 took a best value award at a recent Intervin Competition. 

If we are looking for more wines in this price range, there’s a new listing, Las Moras Reserva Chardonnay from Argentina, $12.95.

It has a tropical fruit nose, with a soft finish. 

It spent 12 months in French oak before bottling. 

Cono Sur offers an organic chardonnay for the same price. 

Here the emphasis is on very fresh fruit, and it has been a popular choice.

Our Station Mall store currently has the Sterling Vintner’s Collection Chardonnay discounted to $12, while the Great Northern store will be getting the Sterling Napa Valley Chardonnay in on July 20 for $22.95.

Both are true to the California style with emphasis on the fruit and creamy buttery flavours, though the former would be better as an aperitif and the latter could stand up to barbecued chicken –or pork – but skip the red sauce.

From Australia, a comparison between the Cooralook Chardonnay,  Strathbogie Range,$16.95, and the Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay Adelaide Hills, $14.95  is tempting. 

The former is noted for its expression of fruit, while the latter took gold and the trophy in its class in the 2012 Sydney Wine competition. 

From the states, good stylistic differences can be found between the Santa Barbara Collection 2010, currently $16.95, which stresses citrus and peach, and the Vintages Essential J. Lohr Riverstone Chardonnay 2012, $18.95.

This is one which pushes the envelope with tropical fruit and smoky oak. 

There are a clutch of very good, more expensive Ontario choices, beginning with one from a top Ontario winery, Tawse Sketches of Niagara 2011, $19.95, exhibiting balance and finesse.

On July 20 seek out Angels Gate Mountainview Chardonnay 2010, $18.95. 

It has great proportion, its deep flavours offset with a clean, satisfying and long finish.

A final example from Ontario on the regular list comes from Daniel Lenko. 

Lenko is a maverick. 

His wines have rarely been seen in the LCBO, and often sell out directly from the winery.

He says that some years, if the fruit doesn’t meet his standards, he won’t make wine. 

He would just sell off the fruit as did his dad, the late Bill Lenko, who grew wonderful grapes but never operated a winery.  

Lenko has marketed a 2009 wine for $19.95. 

It is the same wine as his green label chardonnay, except with this one, the green label morphs into stripes of red, purple, yellow and blue. 

It bears the name, not chardonnay, but ChardonnGAY.

A percentage of the profits is dedicated to Aids Research. 

It carries some apple and tropical fruit and has a buttery feel to it despite the absence of oak.

At one point, there was an ABC movement – Anything But Chardonnay.  

The grape was everywhere, and still is, and there was a lot of so-so wine.

Now, though, with attention to quality, the pendulum is swinging back, and we have much to explore – and enjoy.

July 20 Vintages

We are receiving a decent selection from the next release, but there are some gaps.

Some wines you won’t see, unless you put an order in by this Monday afternoon, include:

M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2011, $15.95 (328831)

A legendary producer offering a rich tasting, thoroughly integrated wine.

La Ferme Du Mont La Truffière 2011, $15.95 (234716)

A delicious white blend perfectly suited for summer sipping.

Cathedral Cellar Triptych 2008, South Africa, $15.95 (053124)

A smooth, structured red that punches well above its weight-class.

Small Gully The Formula Robert’s Shiraz 2008, South Australia, $18.95 (142935).

Actually, there are 36 bottles coming, but this wine has always  been a crowd pleaser – amazing berry, cherry and chocolate over-the-top flavours with a mile-long finish and a mind-blowing 15.9 % alcohol. 

If you want some, order it.

Robert Oatley Signature Series Shiraz 2010, South Australia, $18.95 (327387).

A 2O11 shiraz from this producer at this price tied with one of Australia’s greatest wines, Grange Hermitage, and was a trophy wine in Decanter’s  competition. 

It would be great to try this against the Small Gully.