Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It
originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is
produced, from England to New Zealand. For new and developing wine regions,
growing Chardonnay is seen as a "rite of passage" and an easy entry
into the international wine market.
The Chardonnay grape itself is very neutral, with many of the flavors
commonly associated with the grape being derived from such influences as
terroir and oak. It is vinified in many different styles, from the lean,
crisply mineral wines of Chablis, France to New World wines with oak, and tropical fruit
flavors.
Chardonnay is an important component of many sparkling wines around the
world, including Champagne. A peak in popularity in the late 1980s gave way to a backlash among
those wine drinkers who saw the grape as a leading negative component of the
globalization of wine. Nonetheless, it remains one of the most widely-planted
grape varieties, with over 160,000 hectares worldwide, second only to Airén
among white wine grapes and planted in more wine regions than any other grape –
including Cabernet Sauvignon.
For much of its history, a connection was assumed between Chardonnay and
Pinot noir or Pinot blanc. In addition to being found in the same region of France for centuries, ampelographers noted
that the leaves of each plant have near-identical shape and structure. Pierre
Galet disagreed with this assessment, believing that Chardonnay was not related
to any other major grape variety. Viticulturalists Maynard Amerine & Harold
Olmo proposed a descendency from a wild Vitis vinifera vine that was a step
removed from white Muscat. Chardonnay's true origins were further obscured by vineyard owners in Lebanon and Syria, who claimed that the grape's ancestry
could be traced to the Middle East, from where it was introduced to Europe by returning Crusaders, though there is
little external evidence to support that theory. Another theory stated that it
originated from an ancient indigenous vine found in Cyprus.
Modern DNA fingerprinting research at University of California, Davis, now suggests that Chardonnay is the
result of a cross between thePinot and Gouais Blanc (Heunisch) grape varieties.
It is believed that the Romans brought Gouais Blanc from Croatia, and it was widely cultivated by
peasants in Eastern
France. The Pinot
of the French aristocracy grew in close proximity to the Gouais Blanc, giving
both grapes ample opportunity to interbreed. Since the two parents were genetically
distant, many of the crosses showed hybrid vigour and were selected for further
propagation. These "successful" crosses included Chardonnay and
siblings such as Aligoté, Aubin Vert, Auxerrois, Bachet noir, Beaunoir, Franc
Noir de la-Haute-Saône, Gamay Blanc Gloriod, Gamay noir, Melon, Knipperlé,
Peurion, Roublot, Sacy and Dameron.
France
In France, Chardonnay is the second most widely planted white
grape variety just behind Ugni blanc and ahead of Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc.
The grape first rose to prominence in the Chablis and Burgundy regions. In Champagne, it is most often blended with Pinot
noir and Pinot meunier but is also used to produce single varietal blanc de
blancs styles of sparkling wine. Chardonnay can be found in Appellation d'origine
contrôlée (AOC) wines of the Loire Valley and Jura wine region as well as the Vin
de pays wines of the Languedoc.
Burgundy
Chardonnay is one of the dominant grapes in Burgundy though Pinot noir vines outnumber it by
nearly a 3 to 1 ratio. In addition to Chablis, it is found in the Côte d'Or
(largely in the Côte de Beaune) as well as the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais.
It is grown in 8 Grand cru vineyards; The "Montrachets"-Montrachet,
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
as well as Charlemagne, Corton-Charlemagne & Le Musigny. In addition to
being the most expensive, the Burgundy examples of Chardonnay were long considered the benchmark standard of
expressing terroir through Chardonnay. The Montrachets are noted for their high
alcohol levels, often above 13%, as well as deep concentration of flavors. The
vineyards around Chassagne-Montrachet tend to have a characteristic hazelnut
aroma to them while those of Puligny-Montrachet have more steely flavors. Both
grand cru and premier cru examples from Corton-Charlemagne have been known to
demonstrate marzipan while Meursault wines tend to be the most round and
buttery examples.
South of the Côte d'Or is the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais wine
regions. The villages of Mercurey, Montagny-lès-Buxy and Rully are the largest
producers of Chardonnay in the Côte Chalonnaise with the best made examples
rivaling those of the Côte de Beaune. In the Mâconnais, white wine production
is centered around the town of Mâcon and the Pouilly-Fuissé region. The full
bodied wines of the Pouilly-Fuissé have long held cult wine status with prices
that can rival the Grand cru white burgundies. Further south, in the region of Beaujolais, Chardonnay has started to replace
Aligote as the main white wine grape and is even replacing Gamay in some areas
around Saint-Véran. With the exception of Pouilly-Fuissé, the wines of the
Mâconnais are the closest Burgundy example to "New World" Chardonnay though it is not identical. Typically Mâcon blanc,
basic Bourgogne, Beaujolais blanc and Saint-Véran are meant to be
consumed within 2 to 3 years of release. However, many of the well made
examples of white Burgundy from the Côte d'Or will need at least three years in the bottle to
develop enough to express the aromas and character of the wine. Hazelnut,
licorice and spice are some of the flavors that can develop as these wines age.
Chablis
The Serein river runs through the town of Chablis, with many of the region's most
prestigious vineyards planted on hillsides along the river. Chardonnay is the
only permitted AOC grape variety in the Chablis region with the wines here developing such
worldwide recognition that the name "chablis" has taken on
semi-generic connotations to mean any dry white wine, even those not made from
Chardonnay. The name is protected in the European Union and for wine sold in
the EU, "Chablis" refers only to the Chardonnay wine produced in this
region of the Yonne département. The region sits on the outer edges of the Paris Basin. On the other side of the basin is the village of Kimmeridge in England which gives it name to the Kimmeridgean
soil that is located throughout Chablis. The French describe this soil as
"argilo-calcaire" and is a composition of clay, limestone and fossilized
oyster shells. The most expensive examples of Chardonnay from Chablis comes
from the seven Grand Cru vineyards that account for around 247 acres (100 ha)
on the southwest side of one slope along the Serein river near the town of
Chablis—Blanchots, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur and
Vaudésir. The wines from these crus most often capture the goût de pierre à
fusil or "gunflint" quality that is characterized of Chablis wine.
Chardonnay was believed to be first planted in Chablis by the Cistercians
at Pontigny Abbey in the 12th century. Today, the Chardonnay made in the
Chablis region is one of the "purest" expression of the varietal
character of the grape due to the simplistic style of winemaking favored in
this region. Chablis winemakers want to emphasis the terroir of the calcareous
soil and cooler climate that help maintain high acidity. The wines rarely will
go through malolactic fermentation or be exposed to oak (though its use is
increasing). The biting, green apple-like acidity is a trademark of Chablis and
can be noticeable in the bouquet. The acidity can mellow with age and Chablis
are some of the longest living examples of Chardonnay. Some examples of Chablis
can have an earthy "wet stone" flavor that can get mustier as it ages
before mellowing into delicate honeyed notes. The use of oak is controversial
in the Chablis community with some winemakers dismissing it as counter to the
"Chablis style" or terroir while other embrace its use though not to
the length that would characterized a "New World" Chardonnay. The
winemakers that do use oak tend to favor more neutral oak that doesn't impart
the vanilla characteristic associated with American oak. The amount of
"char" in the barrel is often very light which limits the amount of
"toastiness" that is perceived in the wine. The advocates of oak in
Chablis point to the positive benefits of allowing limited oxygenation with the
wine through the permeable oak barrels. This can have the effect of softening
the wine and make the generally austere and acidic Chablis more approachable at
a younger age.
North America
In North
America,
particularly California, Chardonnay found another region where it could thrive and produce a
style of wine that was noticeably different than that of France. It is the dominant white wine variety
of the area, overtaking Riesling in 1990. In the United States it is found most
notably in California, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington but also in
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Tennessee and Vermont wine. In Canada, Chardonnay is found in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.
California
The first successful commercial production of California Chardonnay was
from plantings in the Livermore Valley AVA. Wente Vineyards developed a Chardonnay
clone that was used to introduce the grape variety in several Californian
vineyards throughout the 1940s. In the 1950s James David Zellerbach, one time
US Ambassador to Rome, started Hanzell Vineyards winery and dedicated it to
making Burgundian style Chardonnay. His success would encourage other
Californian winemakers to follow suit and culminated in Chateau Montelena's
victory over Burgundy Chardonnay in the 1976 blind tasting event conducted by
French judges known as the Judgment of Paris. In response, the demand for
Californian Chardonnay increased and Californian winemakers rushed to increase
plantings. In the 1980s, the popularity of Californian Chardonnay would explode
so much that the number of vines planted in the state eclipsed that of France by 1988. By 2005 there was nearly
100,000 acres (40,000 ha) accounting for almost 25% of the world's total
Chardonnay plantings. The early trend was to imitate the great Burgundy wines but soon gave way to more rich
buttery and oaked styles. Starting with the 1970s, the focus was on harvesting
the grapes at more advance degrees of ripeness and at higher Brix levels. New
oak barrels were used to produce wines that were big in body and mouthfeel.
Frank J. Prial of The New York Times was an early critic of this style,
particularly because of the lack of "food friendliness" that was
common with these massive wines. Another criticism of California Chardonnays,
and one that has been levied against other Californian wines, is the very high
alcohol levels which can make a wine seem out of balance. In recent years,
Californian winemakers have been using process such as reverse osmosis and
spinning cones to bring the alcohol levels down to between 12 and 14%.
The Californian wine regions that seem to favor producing premium quality
Chardonnay are the ones that are most influenced, climatically, by coastal fogs
that can slow the ripening of the grape and give it more time to develop its
flavors. The regions of Alexander Valley, Los Carneros, Santa Maria Valley,
Russian River Valley and other parts of Sonoma county have shown success in
producing wines that reflect more Burgundian styles. Other regions often
associated with Chardonnay include Napa Valley, Monterey County and Santa Barbara County. The California Central Valley is home
to many mass produced Chardonnay brands as well as box and jug wine production.
While the exact style of the wine will vary from producer, some of the terroir
characteristics associated with California Chardonnay include
"flinty" notes with the Russian River Valley and mango & guava from Monterey. A large portion of the Californian
sparkling wine industry uses Chardonnay grapes from Carneros, Alexander and
Russian River valleys with these areas attracting the attention of Champagne
producers like Bollinger, Louis Roederer, Moët et Chandon and the Taittinger
family who have opened up wineries in last few decades.
Other states
Washington Chardonnays can be very similar to Californian Chardonnays but
there tends to be more emphasis on fruit than creaminess. In 2000, it was the
most widely planted premium wine grape in the state. Rather than using Dijon
clones, Washington vineyards are planted with clones developed at the
University of California-Davis that are designed to take longer to ripen in the
warmer weather of the state's wine regions. This allows winemakers to maintain
the acidity levels that balances the fruity and flint earthiness that have
characterized Washington Chardonnay. Apple notes are common and depending on
producer and appellation can range from flavors of Golden Delicious and Fuji to Gala and Jonathan. In Oregon, the introduction of Dijon clones from Burgundy has helped to adapt the grape to the Oregon climate and soils.
Fonte: Wikipedia
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