The California landscape is dotted with more Chardonnays than CHP cars. It seems that one can toss a dart onto a wine map and inevitably find a Chardonnay-producing winery. The flavor notes are as scattered on the wine wheel as the grapes are in any particular AVA (wine region). Stainless steel, new French oak, used French oak, Hungarian oak (ok, for the record I’ve yet to see a Chardonnay touch Hungarian Oak, but I just never know), a mixture of oak and steel, and on and on the list continues. There’s the ABC club, or anything but Chardonnay, and the Le Crema fan club (one of the more oakey Chards).

Then we have the 2009 Cougar Chardonnay from Temecula. With colors that resemble a Savignon Blanc and an alcohol percentage that is unheard of in California (11.5%) in the Chardonnay world, this wine is way off the charted characteristics of what and how a Chardonnay should behave and act.

With this Chardonnay, you’re going to get hints of tropical fruits, going all the way into the guava and coconut arena. If by now you’re saying that’s madness, well, you’re partially right. Thankfully the wine rebounds with additions of Chardonnay characteristics with a little bit of acidity mixed in with a few bartlett pears. The secret to the notes of this Chardonnay is in the way it is produced—the wine never touched an oak barrel, new or used, at all.

The 2009 Cougar Chardonnay is a great wine pre-dinner. The low alcohol is a pleasant welcome to the Chardonnay arena, which means you can enjoy a glass or two and still follow your dinner recipe if need be. The lightness of alcohol makes this wine rub elbows with the Riesling world, in terms of an un-heavy wine when it hits the mid-palate.

For food, the lighter the better. Being a distant 5th cousin to Riesling, the Chardonnay here could possibly be paired with a non-spicy Thai dish (it’s not potent enough to remove the spice from your mouth) or maybe crab cakes.

For a new take on an old California standard, have a look, and a taste of the Cougar 2009 Chardonnay from Temecula Valley. At $20, it’s well look a few looks, um, tastes.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

A staple in the Napa Valley, Cakebread recently released a new Chardonnay into their wine portfolio. The 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay (they also make an Anderson Valley Chardonnay) was recently bottled and is now available to the world.

The beauquet on this wine is beautiful. I’m delighted that the acidity is a bit higher than what you’d normally expect out of a California (let alone a Napa Valley) Chardonnay. The butter bandit, if he is there, is hiding out on the nose. My initial thought when I took a quick whiff was apples and pears, with a little butter, but not much at all. I imagine this well-balanced nose is due to the nearly 10% of the wine going through a stainless steel fermentation.

The mid-palate displays the typical butterness sensation, but without the characteristic oakiness. The butter is still very mild and melts easily on your tongue. A slight amount of tannins, however they are very very weak. This is partially due to the fact that Cakebread ran the wine through both neutral & new french oak. The oak is needed, but it’s not over the top.

If you’re looking for a great Chardonnay to have before dinner or with a good friend, this wine is for you. You can easily drink this solo, or with food. Closing my eyes, I could see a Fettuccine Alfredo, or any other dish with a cream sauce; possibly cooked oysters with a clam sauce. The small amount of acidity is what works with the thicker sauces.

This wine could use a little more time to lay down. The small amount of tannins present will dissipate in about 6-8 months I’m guesstimating. However, the wine is still ready to drink now.

Enjoy,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

I will admit that I preach what I teach when it comes to wine in the saying, “Drink what you like”. And such is  the case for the 2007 Moon Mountain Chardonnay. It’s a very well made wine, has a bit of structure to it, and comes in right around $10.

The common features of a Chardonnay are nowhere present here. You won’t find mouthfuls of butter and oak. What you will find is a more creamy texture to it. There is a bit of acidity, but more cream, like a dessert style cream, then anything near the butter realm.

I feel this wine’s success comes from the 1/3 stainless steel fermentation, instead of entirely oak aged. Yes, it did touch oak (even I was surprised upon reading that) as you really can’t tell that the wine even hit a hint of oak. But such is the case.

The creaminess lies in the 1/3 malolactic fermentation which the winemaker did to soften the sharp acidity. For a wine priced well below $20, this bottle is a true gem and a real find. For a different take on a common grape, the Chardonnay, check out Moon Mountain’s 2007 Chardonnay.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

Appalachian: Cental Otago, New Zealand
Alc: 14%
Haydn gives it: 89pts
You can buy this wine from: Station Imports

While the Chardonnay grape basks in the glory of being one the world’s most planted grape, it is mainly a distant memory in the eyes of growers from New Zealand. While, yes, this hearty grape could probably any weather you throw at it, New Zealand’s microclimates are better suited for Sauvignon Blancs. You it came as a surprise and a delight to review a Chardonnay from New Zealand.

At first glance, you could mistake this for a Sauvignon Blanc. The golden yellow that is normally the hallmark for Chardonnays is replaced here with a yellow-green color cast, though heavy on the yellow.

The aromas are extremely pleasant, with hints of butter but also a little pear. I’m curious if this wine went through stainless steel fermination and then hit some oak for a little while. In any case, the wine has a beautiful bouquet, and is sure to delight most Chardonnay drinkers.

Tasting the wine, I find the same butter but with some minerality. The wine is lighter than it’s California couterparts (I was just in Napa yesterday and let me tell you, the butter bandit was out in force). There is also a bit of honey that also comes out, especially on the finish. From start to finish, an extremely pleasant and easy-to-drink wine. Very little oak could be felt, which is a delight.

Overall, a very well-made wine. I’m glad to see the Chardonnay get some attention in New Zealand. With New Zealand dominated by Sauvignon Blancs, it is good to know that other white varietals can and do thrive in the climate of Central Otago.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems of the region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

Appalachian: Napa Valley
Alc: 14.3%
Haydn gives it: 95 points 

While I do have a general predisposition towards anything that comes out of Napa, exceptions have been made. I have reviewed wines that have been sourced from Napa grapes, but I’ve yet to feature a winery that is headquartered in that region. Yet, whenever I review a wine, I do try, in every way possible, to keep the review objective and to let the wine dictate the direction, not anybody in marketing. 

That being, said, the 2007 Cakebread Chardonnay is simply beautiful. It does retail for around $40, making it not the cheapest of Chardonnays out there. Yet, I’d be willing to forego nearly 2/3 of the California Chards in favor of this one. 

The nose showcases a bit of a vegetal aroma with a twist of peach and pair. A light, very light appearance of oak was present, it seem to soften the wine, not harden it. I was so in love with the aromas it took a bit to actually drink it (and no, I wasn’t going to be spitting this one out)

Following the aromas, the wine continued to showcased bartlett pears and even a little apple. A touch of honey was also there, as if the pear had been lightly coated before meeting with the apple. The piece de’ resistance was the overall mouthfeel of the wine. It didn’t pull, grab, jar, or twist any tastebuds. It simply waved hello, introduced the flavor components and went on it’s merry way. This is what a Chardonnay is supposed to taste like.

The honey component lingered a little bit at the end, but soon all traces vanished on the finish. A stunningly beautiful wine. A big thumbs up to the wine maker. While the price on this wine is set at $40, I do have to say that ever dollar is worth it. Once again, to all of my readers who run for the hills every time someone pulls out a Chardonnay with a US designation, take a look at this wine (as well as Nalle’s Chardonnay) for a truly beautiful experience.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

Hopkins Ranch, Russian River Valley
Alcohol: 13.7%
Haydn gives it: 93pts

One cannot talk about Nalle Wine without talking about Doug Nalle (co-founder with wife Lee) as well. For over 25 years, Nalle wines have been a staple in Dry Creek. Their above-ground wine cave (dubbed the potato bunker) could possibly dwarf Ferari-Carano’s estate in terms of recognizable landmarks in the valley.

Along with physical landmarks, Nalle’s wine is definitely worth taking note of. While his Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs are exceptional, it is the Chardonnay which was one of the most pleasant and yet the most surprising of the day.

The minute I and my friend, Kelly stepped out of the car, we were immediately greeted by Lee and Andrew (son) as well as Henry, the resident 13 y/o dog. Kelly’s dog, Lucy, and Henry also greeted each other. We quickly discussed with Lee if it would be alright to let Lucy run free, but the consensus was to tie her up. All the while, Doug came outside with two glasses of a white wine and we began our tasting out on the front concrete of the potato bunker.

Not knowing what it was, Doug asked me to identify the wine. I took a good sniff and picked up a bit of citrus. My first thought that ran through my head was a bit of apricot on the nose. Doug further asissted by suggesting that he even detected a hint of mint, almost of the mint julep kind. I concurred and concluded it was a Sauvignon Blanc. Pleasant, light and a bit acidic.

Nope. Wrong answer. Doug expressed that it was a Chardonnay. I was floored. Not that I had guessed incorrectly, but it tasted nothing like a Chardonnay by traditional California standards. Apparently I was not the first person to suggest a Sauvignon Blanc. After all, I was standing in a valley that grows Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay by about 30:1. (Due to Dry Creek’s hotter climate, the Sauv. Blanc does far better than the Chardonnay)

Doug mentioned that he generally detected a bit of pear in this wine, but that it had been opened for quite a while and that a slight change in character could happen. He further explained that it was much closer to a White Burgandy. I agreed, especially due to the lightness of the wine. But no oak and a slight tingle of butter on this one. Non-Chardonnay drinkers, listen up. This one’s for you!

We continued the tasting outside, with Doug running in and out to continually fill our glasses. We gabbed about overpriced wine in the Napa Valley, the snobbery that occurs out there and about winemaking as a whole. Doug and I further agree that wine points are just that, points. Drink what you like, not what someone else says. I did hesitate to give this wine points at the top, but I figured I’m happy to play along. For the record, my points are merely an educated guess at where this wine would fall. 0-50 and it should be used for cooking. Anything over 90 points and you should buy a case (and with this wine, their are only 125 of them, so don’t delay).

For a Chardonnay that doesn’t act or taste like a Chardonnay, I’d suggest the 2007 Chardonnay. It sells for $35 and you can buy it at nallewinery.com/

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Haydn is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems of the region. He also writes for vinvillage.com. When he is not teaching, or working in his office, you can find Haydn somewhere in Sonoma spitting out wines (that’s a good thing for the record).

The color is light in color, yellow to clear. At first glance, my mind went over to the Viognier side due to its lighter complexion. No gold at all here.

On the nose, this wine exhibits hints of honey dew topped with gorgonzola cheese along with a bit of lemon dripped on top. If you reach for it, you can find that butter, but it is very slight. The overall feel of the nose is acidic and leans heavily towards the citrus side. This wine does well after opening for about an hour. At first sniff, the wine displayed much more citrus aspects, sliding towards the melon family. Yet, after giving it a chance to breathe, the small pieces of gorgonzola cheese came to rest on the honeydew and melon and the lemon started to shine.

For how clear the Scheid Chardonnay is, I was impressed at how well it coated my tongue and the wine gave off a larger mouth feel than I was expecting. The honeydew continued onto the mid-palate and continued until it trailed off on the finish. There was a buttery complex to the taste, but it was more of a non-fat buttery style. If you are a bit perplexed by this, try a glass of non-fat milk and then 2% milk. The 2% is much thicker than the non-fat.

The finish is clean and even. The honeydew, as I mentioned before, is there on the finish, but the wine picks up some more lemon at the very end. This is one of the few wines where I’ve seen a flavor at the beginning and at the very end, literally disappearing during the middle. While it could be drank solo, I’d give this wine an entrée or an appetizer for it to really flourish. 

A delectable wine that utilizes two different fermentations styles, 70% stainless steel & 30% French Oak barrels. A great combo. For a slight departure from the California too-much-oak Chardonnay, check out the 2006 Scheid Chardonnay

Where you can buy this wine:
You can buy this wine directly from Scheid at http://www.scheidvineyards.com/. 

Cost:
$22

Then I reviewed the winemakers notes and was completely shocked. The wine was aged in 9 months in French Oak barrels. 

Laetitia’s 2007 Chardonnay displayed a beautiful yellow color, with a little bit of gold thrown in there. I wanted to spend a bit longer lingering at the color, rather then trying it. I soon came to my senses and stuck my nose in the glass.

There were traces of oak in the initial sniff along with hints of a bartlett pear and bit of citrus. A faint whiff of lemon could be found if you swirled it around for a bit. It was if it didn’t want to come out of the shadows. A delightful smell overall. This wine does really well if you give it about a 30 minute lag time between opening and sniffing/drinking. I found the aromas to blossom after giving it some time to open up.

The Chardonnay displayed a very even mouth feel. It lightly gripped that back of my tongue with a bit of tannins. It’s a 2007 after all. I’d recommend giving this wine about a year in the cellar to let those tannins disappear.  In addition to a few tannins, a bit more lemon came through with a dab of figs in the background.

The pièce de résistance is this wine’s finish. The length kept going, and going, and going. The lemon that was found on the mid-palate turned to honey on the after taste. Beautiful. The complete mouth feel was still apparent nearly a few minutes after spitting.

What makes this wine that much more appealing is it breaks the $20 mark at $18. The wine is well made, even and balanced. I would give this wine a year more of cellaring before opening, however it is still very drinkable now.

You can purchase this wine directly from Laetitia’s website at https://shop.laetitiawine.com/. They also have a Facebook group page.