{"id":35,"date":"2008-09-28T13:13:19","date_gmt":"2008-09-28T13:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=35"},"modified":"2008-09-28T13:13:19","modified_gmt":"2008-09-28T13:13:19","slug":"chardonnaywheres-the-oak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=35","title":{"rendered":"Chardonnay…Where’s the Oak?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chardonnay\"ChardonnayThis year's blind tastings of Chardonnays left me and our three Ken’s Wine Guide Tasting Panels with more questions than answers.\u00c2\u00a0 As you know Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in America.\u00c2\u00a0 So why change when you are on top?\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps it is because that is what you are supposed to do according to some experts.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Maybe your Chard was not the front runner, so you think that making a different style will differentiate you?\u00c2\u00a0 I'm not sure why the change, but the change in style is definitely taking place.\u00c2\u00a0 Remember the phrase “Where's the Beef?”\u00c2\u00a0 I'm starting a new catch phrase.\u00c2\u00a0 “Where's the Oak?”\u00c2\u00a0 There\u00c2\u00a0are definitely less oak and less creamy, buttery-styled Chardonnays out there.\u00c2\u00a0 Why?\u00c2\u00a0 I'm not sure.\u00c2\u00a0 It seems to me that those are two of the qualities that made the grape so popular.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, there was a lot of over-oaking in the heydays of Chardonnay.\u00c2\u00a0 That did lead to a lot of woody Chardonnays, hiding the fruit flavors of the grape.\u00c2\u00a0 But there is a middle ground too.\u00c2\u00a0 There was also a lot of poor quality Chard dumped on the market as well.\u00c2\u00a0 But there also were plenty of nicely oaked, well-balanced, creamy, buttery Chards as well.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0We found a few of them in our blind tastings.\u00c2\u00a0 Over all, we found that Chardonnay seems to be drifting away from the traditional style that made this grape so popular.<\/p>\n

We had\u00c2\u00a0two large tastings and a mini tasting of Chardonnay.\u00c2\u00a0 In\u00c2\u00a0the first tasting we recommended 11 wines out of 16.\u00c2\u00a0 Three of them scored over 90 points with Very Good+ ratings.\u00c2\u00a0 In\u00c2\u00a0the second tasting\u00c2\u00a0we recommended 9 out of 16 wines with none of the wines exceeding a Very Good score.\u00c2\u00a0 In this tasting, many of the panelists were clamoring about the lack of oak.\u00c2\u00a0 From the mini tasting we recommended\u00c2\u00a0five wines.<\/p>\n

\"EOSIn\u00c2\u00a0the first Chardonnay tasting\u00c2\u00a0we had 3 wines that truly caught\u00c2\u00a0our panel's attention.\u00c2\u00a0 Our winner was the EOS 2006 \u201cCupa Grandis\u201d\u009d Chardonnay<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0$55.\u00c2\u00a0 This Chard from Paso Robles was ultra smooth and elegant.\u00c2\u00a0 Its attractive spearmint like bouquet really caught the attention of many of the panelists.\u00c2\u00a0 It was really tasty with light citrus like flavors and light oak integrated in the wine.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine was clearly a winner.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"WVVOur second place finisher came from Oregon.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the Willamette Valley Vineyards \u201cEstate Vineyard\u201d\u009d Chardonnay<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>$30.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine scored 90 points from the panel.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine would have easily won our Oregon Chard tasting that we held back in June.\u00c2\u00a0 It was well-balanced, creamy, buttery, and oaky.\u00c2\u00a0 It was made in the style of Chardonnay that made the grape famous.\u00c2\u00a0 Our panel agreed and rewarded it.<\/p>\n

\"BianchiOur third place wine came from Bianchi Winery who has faired quite favorably with our panel over that last few months.\u00c2\u00a0 Their 2006 Signature Selection Chardonnay<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>$19 from the \u201cEdna Ranch\u201d\u009d scored a solid 90 points.\u00c2\u00a0 We found that many of our recommended Chards came from the Edna Valley.\u00c2\u00a0 This particular Chard had a very inviting tropical fruit like bouquet.\u00c2\u00a0 It was also creamy and well-balanced with flavorful pineapple flavors and a touch of oak.<\/p>\n

Finally, our fourth place finisher was another \u201cEdna Ranch\u201d\u009d Chard.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 Vina Robles “Edna Ranch” Chard<\/a><\/strong> $17 scored an 89.25 and was well received by the entire panel.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine had an intense banana and cantaloupe like bouquet.\u00c2\u00a0 On the palate, this wine was creamy, balanced, and displayed crispy lime-like flavors with a touch of peach.<\/p>\n

The remaining recommendations from Tasting #1:<\/p>\n

#5 Michael & David 2006 “7 Heavenly Chards”<\/a><\/strong>$17 (Lodi, CA) (88.75)
\n#6 EOS 2006 “Estate Bottled”<\/strong> <\/a>$14 (Paso Robles, CA) (88.5)
\n#7 Bonterra 2006<\/a><\/strong> $13 (Mendocino, CA) (88.25) *Organic*
\n#8 Emiliana 2007 “Natura”<\/a><\/strong> $11 (Casablanca Valley, Chile) (88.125) *Organic*<\/strong>
\n#9 Dry Creek Vineyard 2006<\/a><\/strong> $20 (Russian River Valley, CA) (87.75)
\n#10 Viu Manent 2007 \u201cReserva\u201d\u009d<\/a><\/strong> $14 (Casablanca Valley, Chile) (87.75)
\n#11 Wakefield 2006 “Promised Land Unoaked”<\/a><\/strong> $13 (South Australia) (87.5)<\/p>\n

\"BuriedThe second Chardonnay tasting\u00c2\u00a0was filled with many Very Good Chards, but none of them could break the barrier to score a consensus Very Good +.\u00c2\u00a0 In a bit of a surprise, our winner came from the state of Washington.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the 2006 Buried Cane Chardonnay<\/a><\/strong> $15.\u00c2\u00a0 It scored an 88.75 from the panel.\u00c2\u00a0 It started with an attractive Mango-like bouquet and finished with smooth and creamy peach flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine was quite attractive, which\u00c2\u00a0pushed it to the top of this tasting.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a great bargain as well!<\/p>\n

\"TalleyOur Second place finisher came from a well known Chard producer.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine was the 2006 Talley \u201cOliver's Vineyard\u201d\u009d Chardonnay<\/strong><\/a> $32.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine scored an 88.42 from the panel.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine featured big tropical fruit flavors with nicely integrated butter and oak.<\/p>\n

\"JeffIn third place was another big name wine.\u00c2\u00a0 The Jeff Gordon 2006 Carneros Chardonnay<\/strong><\/a> $50 was my favorite wine in this tasting.\u00c2\u00a0 Overall it finished with a panel score of 88.33.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine featured light pineapple and lime flavors with a touch of oak.\u00c2\u00a0 It was smooth, creamy, and elegant.\u00c2\u00a0 With a little more oak, I think this wine would have easily scored a 90+.\u00c2\u00a0 In fourth place we return to Talley Vineyards.\u00c2\u00a0 Their 2006 \u201cArroyo Grande\u201d\u009d Chardonnay<\/strong><\/a> $26 is consistently Very Good.\u00c2\u00a0 This year the panel scored the wine 88.17.\u00c2\u00a0 It features an attractive pineapple bouquet and shows crisp and tangy lemon and pear like flavors.<\/p>\n

The remaining recommendations from Tasting #2:<\/p>\n

#5 Willamette Valley Vineyards 2006 “Dijon Clone”<\/a><\/strong> $18 (Willamette Valley, OR) (87.9)
\n#6 Ad Hoc 2007 “Hen & Chicken”<\/a><\/strong> $18 (Western Australia (87.83)
\n#7 Four Vines 2007 \u201cNaked\u201d\u009d<\/a><\/strong> $14 (Santa Barbara, CA) (87.67)
\n#8 EOS 2006 “Reserve”<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>$20 (Paso Robles, CA) (87.5)
\n#9 Fantesca 2006<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>$45 (Napa Valley, CA) (87.5)<\/p>\n

\"JekelIn our Small Mini Tasting with fewer panelists we found some really nice options.\u00c2\u00a0 Most ot them were bargains as well.\u00c2\u00a0 The first wine that we recommended and was very well-liked was the\u00c2\u00a0Jekel 2006 “Gravelstone”<\/a><\/strong>$11 (Monterey, CA) (88.0).\u00c2\u00a0 This wine was smooth, creamy, and delicate.\u00c2\u00a0 It has green apple flavors with a touch of butter\u00c2\u00a0and with\u00c2\u00a0a hint of pineapple.\u00c2\u00a0 Our favorite and a potential crowd pleaser was an offering from Babich.\u00c2\u00a0 Their 2007 “Unoaked” Chardonnay<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0$13 (88.5) was quite popular.\u00c2\u00a0 This panel liked its light body and subtle citrus flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 They found this wine to be a very versatile option.<\/p>\n

The remaining recommendations from the Mini Tastings:<\/p>\n

#3 Bouchard Finlayson 2006 “Crockodiles Lair”<\/a><\/strong>$25 (Overberg, South Africa) (88.0)
\n#4 Bouchard Finlayson 2006 “Missionvale”<\/a><\/strong> $28 (Walker Bay, South Africa) (88.0)
\n#5 Folie \u00c3\u00a0 Deux 2007<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>$15 (Napa Valley) (86.5)<\/p>\n

\"ShaferFinally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention 2 extraordinary Chards that we reviewed non blind over the last 6 months.\u00c2\u00a0 The first is the Shafer 2006 “Red Shoulder Ranch” Chardonnay<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0$47 from Napa Valley, CA.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0We had this wine this summer at Siro’s in Saratoga, NY.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine is extremely well made.\u00c2\u00a0 It appears as a top Chardonnay every year it seems.\u00c2\u00a0 We found this wine to be smooth, creamy, nicely balanced, with delicious lemon-like flavors with a hint of minerality.\u00c2\u00a0 We would pair this elegant Chard with seafood at a special occasion dinner.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Our last wine is one of our absolute favorites.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a terrific Chard and a steal.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"KendallThe Kendall Jackson 2006 “Camelot Highlands”<\/strong><\/a>$26 is a fabulous wine and a bargain for $26.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine hails from Santa Maria Valley bench.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0It is very creamy, has no hard edges, has excellent concentration, and displays mouth watering golden delicious apple like flavors with a dash of vanilla and oak.\u00c2\u00a0 Winemaker Randy Ullum calls this wine his “Filet Mignon of Chardonnay.”\u00c2\u00a0 So if you love Excellent Chard and a wonderful deal as well, look no further and buy a case of this gem.\u00c2\u00a0 But hurry supplies are very limited.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, we found many Very Good or better Chardonnays over the last couple of months.\u00c2\u00a0 As we mentioned, there is a movement away from the traditional oaky and buttery styles that\u00c2\u00a0made Chradonnay the front running white wine in America.\u00c2\u00a0 The current trend is to emphasize the fruit.\u00c2\u00a0 All in all, there are many styles out there and we hope we helped you find one that fits your palate, taste, and budget.<\/p>\n

Cheers,
\nKen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year's blind tastings of Chardonnays left me and our three Ken’s Wine Guide Tasting Panels with more questions than answers.\u00c2\u00a0 As you know Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in America.\u00c2\u00a0 So why change when you are on top?\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps it is because that is what you are supposed to do according to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,11,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chardonnay","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-wine-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}