3 Styles of California Chardonnay Perfect for Mother’s Day
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Melissa Vogt
- 09 May 2017 | News & Views
What could be more perfect than California Chardonnay for Mother’s Day? It’s a well-known fact that mothers love their Chardonnay and that’s because this go-to white wine is about as versatile as it gets in the great Golden State, so there’s a style out there for every kind of mom. Not sure what style of California Chardonnay your mother likes best? We’ve got you covered with a few styles that we think will suit the plentiful personalities of mothers worldwide:
Buttery Chardonnay
This
is the style of Chardonnay with which you are likely most familiar.
“Buttery” Chardonnays get that flavor profile from a process called
malolactic fermentation, in which malic acid is converted into lactic
acid during during the winemaking process. This conversion softens the
acidity of the wine, bringing a butter-like flavor to the palate. This
style of Chardonnay is also often aged in a significant percentage of
new oak before release, so the finished wine tends to be full-bodied
with oak-influenced flavors like vanilla. While the style is now a bit
“old-school” in terms of what’s on the market today, there’s nothing
quite like a buttery Chardonnay—and if your mother holds true to those
flavors, then by all means don’t deprive her! A Napa Valley classic in
this style would be the Rombauer Vineyards Proprietor Selection Chardonnay.
Unoaked Chardonnay
For
a while in California, we were seeing a bit of backlash from
winemakers against the buttery Chardonnay style—the
term “unoaked” Chardonnay stated popping up on tasting menus and wine lists. In
the complete opposite fashion of a buttery Chardonnay, unoaked
Chardonnays are fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. Choosing
this vessel for fermentation and aging yields a very different style of
Chardonnay that seeks to show off the grape’s acidity and freshness.
For this reason, unoaked Chardonnay tends to be brighter and more
fruit-forward (without the heavier oak notes), with a crisp and
refreshing appeal on the palate. Because these wines typically do not
undergo malolactic fermentation, you won't get those buttery notes
either. A classic from Sonoma in this style would be the Williams Selyem Unoaked Chardonnay.
Hybrid Chardonnay
Now,
some would argue that a stainless steel fermented and aged Chardonnay
is not simply Chardonnay— if you want stainless steel, go drink a
Sauvignon Blanc! After all, even in France—Chardonnay’s
birthplace—winemakers in some appellations like Meursault (Burgundy) use
a bit of malolactic fermentation and/or neutral and new oak aging for
their Chardonnay. But what if your mother doesn’t like the buttery and
oaky profile? You’re in luck, because there’s a hybrid style of
Chardonnay that finds a nice balance between a “Buttery Chardonnay” and
an “Unoaked Chardonnay.”
While I don’t think the wine industry
has given this style of Chardonnay its own categorical name, I am
calling it the “Hybrid Chardonnay,” as that's exactly what it is—a hybrid of the two
aforementioned styles. Hybrid Chardonnays strike a balance between fresh
acidity with bright fruit flavors and full-bodied appeal with
buttery/oaky notes. This is often achieved by varying the vessels for
fermentation (using stainless steel or neutral oak), putting the
wine through varying degrees of malolactic fermentation, aging
the wine in either neutral or a small percentage of new oak and
stirring of the lees. And when grown in a perfectly cool but sunny
climate like Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, these Chardonnays can
still show off fresh acidity and crispness with ripe fruit flavors. A
classic hybrid Chardonnay that is one of my personal favorites is the Ramey Cellars Russian River Valley Chardonnay.