All Hail Chardonnay - Domaine des Vercheres Macon Villages 2013

When it comes to white wine, Chardonnay is still King (or Queen if you will) in my book and sales figures will back me up on that. According to the Wine Institute, Chardonnay still has the largest US market share of all the varietals with a 21% share. That's as of 2013. Now I'm in love with Italian whites like Soave and Fiano di Avellino or Northern Spain's Albarino, but good Chard can hit all the right notes, pairing orchard fruit flavors with good body and acidity. I've been critical of domestic Chard in the past. I think too many are too ripe and sweet with accompanying high alcohol levels. These versions are usually lacking in acidity and end up tasting flabby and dull.

For me there's no better everyday Chard than what one can find from the Macon region of France's Burgundy. It's a huge appellation with over 9,000 acres under vine. Most wine drinkers know Pouilly-Fuisse, the most famous appellation within the Macon, and St. Veran is another Macon appellation that is known for quality Chardonnay. The entry level Macon designation has a three-tier hierarchy - plain old Macon, Macon-Villages and Macon plus a village name like Macon-Pierreclos for instance.

Domaine des Vercheres is a small family run operation in the northern end of the Macon. The Chardonnay vines average 30 years of age and grow at an altitude of 800 ft or so. This delicious little wine is fermented partially in French oak barrels and partially in stainless. Partial malolactic and stirring of the lees add richness and depth. It's got subtle aromas of pear and green apple with almond and citrus notes. The wood is not heavy handed here and the orchard fruit flavors dominate the medium bodied palate. This tasty little wine has good acidity, an attractive texture and it finishes bright and long with lime and mint notes. Imported by Martin Scott, this lovely everyday Chardonnay cost me $11.99.

California Dreamin' - Wellington Chardonnay Sonoma 2010

I must admit I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to Chardonnay. I've always loved the French styles the most - from the everyday Macon wines to the high end versions from the Cote de Beaune. And though I've never had the good fortune or the dollar fortune to try a Grand Cru, I have tried many a Premier Cru and village wine from Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet and Meursault. They are, for my money, the best Chardonnays in the world hands down.

California, and in particular Napa and Sonoma, are warm and getting warmer. Chardonnay is a cool climate grape and the problem with Chardonnay in too warm a climate is that when the ripeness of the grapes goes up too high, the acidity goes down, and you are left with a dull, flabby version of Chardonnay. Combine that lower acid fruit with too much barrel treatment, perhaps including some malolactic fermentation, and you have a wine that easily gets overpowered by whatever dish you're trying to pair it with. Malolactic fermentation is a secondary fermentation that you either let happen or you stop it from happening. Most reds get it and Chardonnays frequently get it to varying degrees. It's what gives some Chardonnays their buttery flavors and textures. When you pick up a Chardonnay in the store, you can't tell how much malo is on it but you can tell something of the ripeness of the grapes from the alcohol level. And when Chardonnay starts getting up to 14.5% or even 15% alcohol, the chances are I'm going to hate it. This Chardonnay though comes in at a balanced 13.8%.

Wellington Vineyards is a small family owned Sonoma winery that produces nicely valued wines. They are only a step shy of certified organic and they are 100% solar powered. A couple of blocks of their vines planted with Zinfandel, Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet date back to 1912 and 1924 while another block dates back to 1895.

The $13.99 2010 Sonoma Chardonnay is made partly with estate fruit and partly with purchased fruit. 25% is fermented in stainless steel and the rest is barrel fermented in 90% French oak - only a small portion of which is new. It's kind of Burgundian in the aromas, with oak spice, poached pear and green apple leading the way. It's got a lovely smooth, medium bodied texture balanced with zingy acidity. The pear and spice notes dominate the flavors and it finishes long, even and bright. This wine is a wonderful value that you should seek out if you like California Chardonnay. Distributed by one of my favorites, Maximum Wine Co. Cheers!

Extreme Holiday Value - Varichon & Clerc Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine is for some reason almost never on my radar which, I suppose, is the same for a lot of folks. It creeps back into our consciousness when special occasions are at hand and, like now, when the holidays are upon us. There's so many choices with regards to sparklers nowadays that it can be hard to decide which way to go. As far as inexpensive sparkling wine goes, there's the domestics, some of which are wonderful if slightly to the sweeter side. Some people prefer that style. There's the Italian Proseccos, many of which are very good and also more to the fruity side. And there's the Spanish Cavas, which are usually a bit drier and nuttier than the aforementioned wines. Champagne of course, real champagne, is the benchmark for sparkling wine.

My favorite value sparkler hands down though is a little known wine formerly made in the foothills of the French Alps, but now made in Burgundy by Varichon & Clerc. Made via the Champagne method as it is called, where the secondary fermentation takes place in bottle after the addition of yeast and sugar, the result is the effervescence. This wine is non-vintage, which means that a blend of vintages make up the still wine that forms the base for this bottling, and three grapes make up the wine, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Ugni Blanc. It retails at my local store for just $9.99. The bubbles are small and the aromas are dominated by nutty/yeasty tones with supporting elements of apple and lime zest. It's got a wonderful steely mouth feel and taut white fruit and toast flavors backed by zingy acidity. Imported by one of my favorites, Maximum Wine Co. , this wine is absolutely a great value at this price point. And it's a nice package also. Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Mommessin Macon Villages 2009 - Old Vines Chardonnay

I haven't posted for awhile as my wife and I were in California for a week. I'll have a report in the coming days on a small Sonoma winery whose wines are wonderful values. For now though I have this.

Mommessin is a very large Burgundy producer that has been around for over 100 years. And although they have expanded into the Rhone Valley, it is their Burgundies that they have always been known for. When it comes to wine, bigger is frequently not better but in the case of this tasty little Chardonnay, Mommessin has produced an everyday winner. This wine was produced from 40 year old vines grown in chalky soil in 3 different villages. Old vines produce less fruit so the juice from old vines grapes is usually more concentrated and flavorful. The chalky soil adds the mineral notes to the profile. This wine has beautiful apple, pear and floral elements in the nose. The orchard fruit flavors repeat in the mouth with a velvety texture, good acidity and a mineral spine that will let you pair this beauty with a wide range of dishes. Hand harvested and fermented at low temperatures, this great value finishes long with a nutty nuance that makes me wonder if this wine was left to age on it's lees for a bit. It cost me $10.99. Cheers.

Le Bourcier Macon Cuvee Elena '08

   Chardonnay is still king by most accounts of today's white wine buying trends. Sales increase every year for this popular grape that accounts for almost 30% of domestic production. In addition, the Chardonnay drinking public has been moving more and more to unoaked versions for their everyday drinking and the California producers are rolling out more of these wines every year. But if there's one thing I've confessed on these pages, it's that I am going to skew old world in my tastes, and that means that for me, the best Chardonnays are French.
   The unoaked Cuvee Elena from Le Bourcier is a Chardonnay from France's Macon region (a sub-region of Burgundy), the home to millions of gallons of Chardonnay production every year. This bottle is a 2008 and it's somewhat golden color hints at a bit of oxidation as it nears the end of it's 2 or 3 year window of drinkability. It's delicious anyway. Beautiful aromas of honeyed pear, fresh fig and a minerally nuance lead to big flavors of pear, orange rind and almond. It's got excellent balancing acidity and a long, creamy finish. The aromas and flavors definitely fell off a bit with airing but I wouldn't hesitate to pick up an '09 or a '10 of this bottling. It's almost always delicious. Imported by one of my faves Polaner Selections, this easy drinking everyday Chardonnay cost me $12.99. Cheers.

Pushing the "Reset" Button on California Chardonnay - Foxglove '09

As someone who has spent some time talking to customers in a retail operation, it has become apparent that Chardonnay lovers are becoming more and more enamored of unoaked versions all the time. The days of Chardonnay bottlings dominated by vanilla flavors and buttery textures appear to be waning. They are heavy handed wines that are low enough in acidity that they do not pair well with food and can in fact get "lost in the sauce". This entry level Chardonnay bottling of Varner Wines called Foxglove is a completely unoaked version that has garnered fully deserved accolades from wine writers much more important than me, and I have to agree. It sees no barrel and no malolactic fermentation whatsoever. Malolactic fermentation is a secondary fermentation that happens naturally and you either allow it to happen or you stop it. It converts the harsher malic acid into the softer lactic acid and it is what gives some California Chardonnays their buttery characteristics. I prefer the style that the Foxglove represents and it sells for an affordable $14.99. It has typical Chardonnay aromas of pear, apple and a note of honey. In the mouth the pear flavors really leap to the front and this lovely wine has a creamy, medium-bodied, somewhat oily texture and wonderful acidity that keeps it lively and fresh. It's bold enough to stand up to grilled chicken and delicate enough to pair with pan seared salmon or grilled shrimp. Cheers!