For some fans this is the only white wine that exists in this world. The rest are leftovers :P
Well, blind love... I kind of understand it.
But in generally Chardonnay is an easy grape to fall in love with as is it very easy to work with. It produces good wines even if it's at its worst. Ir can be grown on in any country to produce any type of wine: oaky, fresh, fruity, sparkling. Any, any, any. Kind of a slut... :) But in the wicked world we live in, it is all we want.
BEST REGIONS:
* FRANCE - Burgundy
Just as some may say that Chardonnay is the queen of white wines, others (or actually the same group) may say the Burgundy is its home. If you get white wine from Burgundy, you may be 99% sure you are getting Chardonnay (even though you will not see that on the label):
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/28976
The prime location will be Cote d'Or (see the map below). Give in and you will discover wine that is concentrated yet well-balanced, oaky yet fresh, honeyed yet dry. Be careful with bottles coming from Maconnais (see the map) as they may taste thin and uninteresting.
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/28976
The prime location will be Cote d'Or (see the map below). Give in and you will discover wine that is concentrated yet well-balanced, oaky yet fresh, honeyed yet dry. Be careful with bottles coming from Maconnais (see the map) as they may taste thin and uninteresting.
I am afraid that in the case of Chardonnay you will have to spend much more on a bottle, especially if you want to impress your date (unless she knows squat about wines). Why is that? The best vineyards marked as grands crus can only produced limited amount of wine and the demand is great... you do the calculations :)
Chablis, to the north of the Burgundy, is known for its lighter type of Chardonnay which results from cooler vineyards. It tastes more crispy with noticeable mineral notes thanks to the soils that are rich in chalk and clay. Beware! This type of Chardonnay is often unoaked. This is why - in its style - it's closer to spicy, fruity wines. And it is extra fruity with tons of oranges, apples, and rhubarb:
However, if light Chardonnay sounds to you as crazy as beef steak for breakfast and Polish wedding with no vodka, you should leave Burgundy and make your way to the far south of France, i.e. Languedoc. It is there where you are going to find the richest, oakiest, creamiest, ...est, ...est, ...est Chardonnay. It will be often labelled Vins de Pays d'Oc. It tastes super ripe and buttery:
*AUSTRALIA
The second most famous country producing Chardonnay wines. Its warm vineyards In Hunter and Barossa Valleys give birth to riper and more concentrated type of Chardonnay, which I personally adore. You are almost knocked over with the amount of spices, vanilla notes and all the resin from the oak barrels you can smell:
Well, but Aussies know that there are many demands to meet, so recently they started producing crisper - let's say - elegant wines. Those can be found in cooler climate regions such as Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, Tasmania (see the map below):
Australia is pretty well-known for its blends of Sémillon with the Chardonnay grape:
It will be heck of a lot crisper than Miss Chardonnay on her own, which maybe what one is looking for. Judging by how many Chardonnay-Sémillon you can find on the shop shelves, I reckon it is a quite successful blend, kind of like a good marriage, where the man (Sémillon) calms down the woman (Chardonnay) :)
