Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
We haven’t discussed chardonnay in this column in a while. Recently we’ve run across a few that warrant a mention.
Chardonnay comes in many styles. I have heard it said that this grape variety can be like chicken, in that winemakers need to find ways to add dimension to the wine to boost its flavor or character.
Many winemakers will age their chardonnay-based wines in oak barrels, for instance, and even adjust the barrel’s charring to infuse more toastiness into the finished wines. Others will allow a secondary (malolactic) fermentation, which softens the wine’s acidity while also infusing buttery nuances.
I look for winemakers who grow their chardonnay vines in interesting soils, such as those marine in origin, which create a minerality in the finished wine. However, this does not guarantee quality, but it does give a talented winemaker something potentially interesting to work with.
Here are three examples of what I am talking about.
>> 2012 Costa de Oro Chardonnay "Santa Barbara" (about $22 a bottle): Here is a small, family-owned vineyard and winery down in California’s Santa Maria Valley, where winemaking is essentially a one-man-show type of operation.
I was taken aback (as were several other winemakers in attendance) trying this bottling at a recent tasting on Maui. It really has a wonderful purity and "minerally" personality, is effortlessly light and sublime in nature. I surmise the minerality comes from the sand-dominated soils in which the vines grow. The wine’s refreshing and uplifting edge also made it a compelling potential partner for all kinds of fresh seafood.
This is certainly a chardonnay that over-delivers for the dollar.
>> 2012 Broadside Chardonnay "Wild Ferment" (about $19): Here is another Californian chardonnay that greatly over-delivers for its price point. The winery that produces it is based in Paso Robles, but the grapes come mostly from the Edna Valley and marine soils. The project is spearheaded by the Terrizzis, wife Stephy (viticulturist) and husband Brian (winemaker).
The core of this wine is older-heritage vines, as opposed to clones, which are in fashion with many wineries today. The wine, as the name suggests, is wild-yeast fermented and bottled unfiltered and unfined.
The marine soils help create the mesmerizing minerality in the finished wine that enhances a riveting pizazz. They are also the reason why it stands out amid the ever-growing crowd of "unoaked" chardonnays.
>> 2012 Neyers Chardonnay "El Novillero Vineyard" (about $40): While there are a growing number of single-vineyard designated wines available on the market and I applaud the thought and effort, I am not sure how many deliver the goods, especially at the higher asking prices. The Neyers "El Novillero" bottling is one of those that deserves the attention and the following.
The vineyard is planted in the western hills of California’s Carneros appellation, one of the highest vineyards of the region with soils brimming with crushed gravel and other interesting rock subsoils that innately create minerality in the finished wines.
The vines are Shot Wente Chardonnay, an old-time heritage vine planted in 1993. This is a dramatic, profound chardonnay that is seamless, well textured and impeccably balanced. It is truly one of California’s standouts.
The bad news is there are typically only 250 or so cases produced in any given vintage, so it might be difficult to find.
Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants group. Follow his blog at chuckfuruya.com.
74