Chardonnay

Question 1

What is a typical cool-climate Chardonnay like?

Answer 1

• acidity: high
• body: medium to light
• primary aromas: green (apple, pear), citrus (lemon, lime), wet stones.

Question 2

What is a typical moderate-climate Chardonnay like?

Answer 2

• acidity: medium-high
• body: medium to full
• primary aromas: lemon, stone fruits (peach), and sometimes tropical fruit (melon).

Question 3

What is a typical warm-climate Chardonnay like?

Answer 3

• acidity: medium.
• body: medium to full.
• primary aromas: stone fruit (peach) and tropical fruit (pineapple, banana).

Question 4

What winemaking process is commonly used in warm-climate Chardonnays to balance their alcohol and full body.

Answer 4

Acidification.

Question 5

What winemaking processes are often used on Chardonnays (and what do they add to the wine)?

Answer 5

• Malolactic Conversion (butter, cream)
• Lees contactin maturation (biscuit, bread, body)
• Oak barrel fermentation or Oak Chips (smoke, vanilla, coconut)
• Inert vessel fermentation (adds no secondary flavors)

Question 6

What are wines with no oak treatment called?

Answer 6

“Unoaked” or “Unwooded”.

Question 7

Does Chardonnay have aging potential?

Answer 7

Generally yes. Very good or Outstanding Chardonnays can age in-bottle for years or decades.

Question 8

What tertiary flavors can Chardonnay develop in-bottle when aged for years/decades?

Answer 8

Hazelnut, mushroom.

Question 9

What are important countries for Chardonnay?

Answer 9

• France
• USA (California, Oregon)
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Chile
• South Africa

Question 10

In which French region is Chardonnay the main grape variety?

Answer 10

Burgundy.

Question 11

What are some important appellations/regions for Chardonnay in Burgundy?

Answer 11

• Bourgogne AOC.
• Chablis AOC.
• Cote d’Or.
• Maconnais.
  ~ South of France.

Question 12

Where do grapes need to be from in the appellation Bourgogne AOC?

Answer 12

They can be from anywhere in Burgundy.

Question 13

What are wines from Bourgogne AOC like?

Answer 13

• usually simple.
• apple and lemon aromas.
• high acidity.

Question 14

How does the climate in Chablis affect the Chardonnay there?

Answer 14

Chablis has a COOL climate. This produces DRY wines with HIGH ACIDITY.

Question 15

What primary aromas can you expect in a Chablis AOC wine?

Answer 15

• apple.
• lemon.
• wet stones.

Question 16

What cru classifications are the best vineyards in Chardonnay?

Answer 16

‘Premier Cru’ or ‘Grand Cru’.

Question 17

Where are ‘Premier Cru’ and ‘Grand Cru’ vineyards in Chablis AOC typically found?

Answer 17

South or South-East facing hillsides.

(The extra sunlight gained from this increases grape ripeness, producing more complex and flavorful wines.)

Question 18

Are Chablis AOC wines typically oaked?

Answer 18

No.

(Winemakers prefer to preserve the fresh fruitiness of these wines, fermenting them in inert vessels instead.)

Question 19

What is the climate of Cote d’Or, and how does this affect the flavors of Chardonnay grown there?

Answer 19

Climate: Moderate.

Flavors: ripe-fruit (peach, melon).

Question 20

Which area in Cote d’Or is the biggest producer of Chardonnay?

Answer 20

Cote de Beaune.

(Found south of Beaune.)

Question 21

Which villages in Cote de Beaune are famous for producing ‘Very Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ quality Chardonnays?

Answer 21

Meursault AOC and Puligny-Montrachet AOC.

Question 22

What winemaking processes do Meursault AOC and Puligny-Montrachet AOC use to make their wines complex and full body?

Answer 22

• Fermentation and/or Maturation in OAK barrels.
• aged while kept in contact with the LEES.

Question 23

Why are Chardonnay wines from Premier and Grand Cru, in villages Meursault AOC and Puligny-Montrachet AOC, so expensive?

Answer 23

• They can develop tertiary flavors (mushroom and hazelnut) in the bottle decades after.
• Many consider these wines the best Chardonnay in the world.