Chardonnay
Chardonnay is without a doubt the queen of white wine grapes. It’s the most planted worldwide, and it has immense versatility. Chardonnay can express its terroir like no other.
There’s no doubt Chardonnay has won a place in everyone’s hearts, but there’s much to learn about the remarkable Burgundian grape, from how to pair it to its intricate history. Chardonnay is listed on every wine list on the planet, and by learning all about it, you’ll understand why — It’s just easy to love! Here’s a guide to Chardonnay, the most significant white wine grape on earth.
The History of the Chardonnay Grape Variety
Chardonnay has a unique pedigree. It has its origins in Burgundy, France, and it’s the offspring of the notorious Pinot Noir and the now rare Gouais Blanc, but since labelling wine with the grape’s name is not customary in France, where the wine is labelled for the village where it comes from, it’s hard to know when the first Chardonnay vines were planted.
There is a Burgundian town called Chardonnay, though, but the grape’s name might also have something in common with the flowering plants called thistles, members of the Carduus family. Chardonnay does display lovely floral aromatics.
Chardonnay gained recognition for the white wines produced with it, prominent since before the Middle Ages, and its role in Champagne, the most prestigious French sparkling wine.
The queen of white grapes soon travelled along with European explorers to the Americas, South Africa and Australia. And today, Chardonnay is planted in every major wine-producing country, often playing a leading role in the countries’ wine industries.
Wine Regions
The best known and most prized wines made with Chardonnay come from France, mainly from Chablis and Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune, particularly from Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Corton, Meursault. It’s also widely popular in Burgundy’s southern Mâconnais region, in Macon, Macon-Villages and Pouilly-Fuisse.
The grape also plays a leading role in Champagne, primarily in the Côte de Blancs. It also enjoys significant plantings in the southern Languedoc region, where it is used to make some of the country’s everyday wines.
Chardonnay has found success in the United States, it’s the most planted white grape in California, and it is also grown in Oregon, Washington and New York. The Napa and Sonoma counties produce some of the finest examples.
Wine producers in South Africa make world-class wine along the Western Coast, and the grape has found itself at home in Australia, where it shows a riper, bolder style.
You’ll find excellent Chardonnay coming from every corner of the earth, from Bulgaria to Argentina, including the UK, Italy, Mexico and Germany.
Wine Styles & Tasting Notes
Chardonnay is cherished by grape growers, winemakers and consumers alike for its ability to express the terroir or sense of place from where it came from. This means no two bottles of Chardonnay taste alike.
When vinified as a sparkling wine, sometimes labelled Blanc de Blancs, Chardonnay displays white apple aromas with hints of white flowers and minerality. Also mineral is the Chardonnay from the Northern, cold-climate Chablis region in France.
Burgundy’s Chardonnay is rounder and bolder with the end result of producing more full bodied wines, mainly because producers allow the wine to experience a secondary, malolactic fermentation and age the wine in oak barrels. The combination of butter aromas from Malo and sweet spices from the oak gives Chardonnay an instantly recognisable personality — this is amongst the few white grapes aged in oak barrels.
In the new world, Chardonnay grows in warmer climates and displays bolder fruit aromas reminiscent of tropical fruit like mango. In contrast, the grape’s characteristic underlying golden apple aromas are always perceivable.
In a nutshell, cooler climate Chardonnay produces clean, vibrant sparkling wine, mineral and tart dry white wine and bold, generous, full-bodied white wine. The broad spectrum gives Chardonnay versatility at the table.
Food Pairings
When Chardonnay shows its tarter, more mineral side, you can pair it with light food, including salads, raw oysters and fresh cheese.
When the grape is buttered up by the malolactic fermentation and gains complexity in oak barrels, it pairs beautifully with creamy sauces, including Alfredo, Bearnaise and Bechamel.
Bolder Chardonnay is also the ideal partner for prawns and lobster, especially when cooked with butter, and it rises to the occasion when paired with poultry, pork and other white meats.
Oily fish, including salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and eel, are also compatible with more expressive styles of Chardonnay, making it a well-rounded wine to pair with every meal.
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Saint-Veran: Gilles Guerrin Champs de PerdrixExotic fruit on the nose with vanilla. Smooth and round in the mouth with aroma of citrus, with lychee on a long finish.
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Pouilly Fuisse: Gilles Guerrin Vieilles VignesProduced in small quantities from 80-year-old vines, located in the village of Vergisson. Fruity and floral aromas, grape and almonds dominating. Refreshing with a long aftertaste.
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Chablis Premier Cru: Dampt Freres Cote de LechetA rich and powerful Premier Cru, possessing a great aromatic complexity with a blend of minerality and citrus.
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Chablis Premier Cru: Dampt Freres VaucoupinComplex mineral nose with aromas of fresh fruit, grapes, apple, pear and breadcrumbs. It evolves towards notes of peach, pineapple, apricot, with hints of sweet spices. The palate is fresh, precise and orchestrated by a predominantly clay minerality. The finish, supple and melted, lets express aromas of white fruits.
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Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune: Domaine Battault WhiteNose of yellow stone fruits, mirabelle plum, very fine woody notes. Both lively and delicious on the palate, the Chardonnay finds here a different expression that combines elegance and freshness.
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Pouilly-Fuisse Premier Cru: Gilles Guerrin Sur La RocheProduced in small quantities from 70-year-old vines, located in the village of Vergisson. Round and intense, full with rich flavours. Best with fish or poultry as it retains its flavour.
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Chablis Premier Cru: Dampt Freres FourchaumeThis Premier Cru benefits from all the advantages that its exceptional terroir confers on it. The nose evokes smells reminiscent of iodized spray, fishing, with nuances of aniseed herbs. With aeration, it develops towards more richness, embodied by notes of brioche, apple, fresh butter, passion fruit. This wine develops a luscious and crunchy fruity substance, supported by a well-integrated lemony acidity. On the mid-palate, predominantly clay minerality, fruity volume and delicacy. A remarkably elegant wine with a lingering finish.
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Champagne: Casters Liebart RoséSoft raspberry fruit, just the right combination of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, with a smooth finish. Dry without the sharp edge some Champagnes have.
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Champagne: Casters Liebart SelectionA blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Perfect balance between fruit and acidity. A champagne for all occasions and our most popular value for money wine over the last 30 years. A recommendation on its own.
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Saint-Romain: Domaine Coste-Caumartin Le Clos du Chateau Monopole WhiteA touch of minerality that brings a nice freshness. Long and soft, it is nicely balanced in a harmonious finesse.
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Mercurey: Domaine Narjoux-Normand WhiteA fairly strong bouquet, typical of White flowers, exotic fruits and pear. A touch of honey appears when ripe. It offers a liveliness on the palate that softens over time.
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Champagne: Casters Liebart Cuvée VincentMajority of Pinot Noir completed with Chardonnay. The body is intense and the taste leaves a sense of fullness and a creamy aftertaste.
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Chablis Premier Cru: Dampt Freres Les Fourneaux OrganicThe palate is remarkably fresh and dynamic with notes of warm plums, figs, pineapple and passion fruit. The finish is both lemony and exotic.
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Cote de Beaune: Domaine Poulleau La Grande Chatelaine WhiteBeautiful golden dress. A powerful wine in the mouth with a light acidity on the finish.
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Champagne: Casters Liebart Tete de Cuvée Rene MarcelMajority of Pinot Noir completed with Chardonnay. The body is intense and the taste leaves a sense of fullness and a creamy aftertaste.
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Champagne: Casters Liebart Tete de Cuvee Rene Marcel RoséSuperb notes of marmalade, dried flowers and roast almond as well as subtle notes of berries from Casters Liebart's Coteaux Champenois red wines.
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Cotes du Jura: Domaine Victor Richard Vin de Paille WhiteNaturally sweet wine. mellow palate, it develops aromas of dried and candied fruits, honey and caramel.
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Santenay Premier Cru: Domaine Battault Clos Rousseau WhiteIntense nose of ripe pear and white flowers. The warm mouth reveals ripe fruit, counterbalanced by a touch of acidity on the finish which holds a perfect equilibrium for the wine.
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Meursault: Domaine Dupont-Fahn Les VireuilsDelicious taste, with a lemon and lime edge. Will keep very well. Great future.
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Meursault: Domaine Dupont-Fahn Cuvee Vieilles VignesGreat depth with lovely lingering flavours. Nutty and honeyed finish, with exceptional quality and length.
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Puligny Montrachet: Domaine Dupont-Fahn Les Grands ChampsThis a white Burgundy which could be described as the smoothest of them all. A wine to sip.
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Chablis Grand Cru: Dampt Freres Les PreusesMineral, iodized and chalky nose with floral and fruity notes. After aeration, it evokes more complex aromas of white fruit and pear, smoky limestone, cereals and vanilla. Cherry, raspberry and pineapple complete this extremely rich olfactory bouquet. The palate is warm and generous. It is nonetheless frank, rich and luscious, with a beautiful liveliness. The whole is powerful and saline, the finish is fresh.
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Chablis Grand Cru: Dampt Freres VaudesirNotes of fresh fruit (peach, pear) on the nose, crunchy, full and mineral on the palate. The complex ensemble offers harmonious and delicate flavours.
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