Chardonnay

Chardonnay: history and characteristics

Chardonnay is a name so familiar to wine aficionados around the world that many are unaware that it is a grape variety. In its native land, Burgundy, Chardonnay was for a long time the only grape variety from which all the best white wines were derived. Therefore, in a land that relies on geographical indications, his name was known only to winegrowers. Everything has changed in recent times, with the introduction of varietal labels, when Chardonnay has practically become a trademark.

It is so popular that synonyms are almost never used (but some Austrians from Stria continue to call it Morillon). The relatively high alcohol level of the wine, which can often leave a sensation of slight sweetness, has probably contributed to this popularity, as well as the obvious appeal of the oak very often used to produce it.

However, it is not only wine enthusiasts who appreciate the great attractions, easy to grasp and difficult to describe, of the golden Chardonnay (the initiative of the Australian Wine Research Institute, an analysis of the aromatic components of the major varieties, met in the Chardonnay a particularly elusive subject, identifying components also found in raspberries, vanilla, tropical fruits, peaches, tomatoes, tobacco, tea and rose petals). Vintners appreciate the ease with which they can obtain relatively high yields from this vine in different climates (it may be necessary to limit its natural vigor with a high planting density or with vegetation control). But the quality of the wine is strongly compromised by yields exceeding 80 hl/ha, and to obtain wines of great quality one must limit oneself to 30 hl/ha or less.

Characteristics of the Chardonnay grape

The only serious reservation is that the vine buds quite early, immediately after the Pinot Noir, with the consequent, regular risk of spring frosts for the colder vineyards of Chablis and Champagne. The vine is subject to coulage and occasionally to millerandage and the skins of the berries, rather thin, can favor rot if it rains during the harvest, but it develops in different climates such as that of Chablis in northern France and in the hot Australian Riverland. The moment of the harvest is crucial because Chardonnay, unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, can rapidly lose the necessary acidity in the following phases of maturation.

Producers love Chardonnay for its consistently good maturity and suppleness. It responds positively to a much wider range of winemaking techniques than other varieties: the Moselle or Vouvray recipe can be applied to Chardonnay, i.e. a long maceration at low temperature followed by immediate bottling, or it can be fermented and refined in oak casks, and the superior quality fruit tolerates new wood well. It easily adapts to the choice of each producer in terms of malolactic fermentation, to soften the wine, and battonage. It is also an essential ingredient in much of the world's finest sparkling wines, not just Champagne, demonstrating its ability to age in the bottle even when harvested early.

If, on the other hand, it is harvested late, it has shown that it can produce some praiseworthy sweet wines, in particular in the Màconnais, in Romania and in New Zealand, from grapes affected by noble rot. It manages to largely retain its character even when it is blended with other less fashionable varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Sémillon or Colombard to satisfy the demand of the lower segment of the market, perhaps because its character, unlike that of the other white all the rage, Sauvignon Blanc, is not too marked. Chardonnay from young or overly productive vines can be almost watery.

The base products are slightly fruity (apple or melon), but at its best this grape variety, like Pinot Noir, is only the means of expression of the character of the vineyard in which it grows. In many other ambitious wines made in the image of the great white Bourgognes its "taste" is actually that of the oak in which it was aged or the result of the winemaking techniques employed. When the vineyard is located in the right place, the yields are not excessive, the acidity is not too low and the vinification is correct, Chardonnay can give wines that continue to improve in the bottle for one, two and exceptionally more decades, but it is not a variety capable of giving very long-lasting wines, unlike Riesling and the best Chenin Blanc and Sémillon affected by botrytis.

The origins of Chardonnay are obscure. It was long believed that it was a white mutation of Pinot Noir, so much so that it was called Pinot Chardonnay, but Galet offers valid ampelographic indications as proof of the fact that it is a variety in its own right. A town in the Màconnais called Chardonnay has given rise to various theories, while others think it has Middle Eastern origins, indicating its long history in the vineyards of Lebanon.

There is a rare but distinct mutation with pink berries, the Chardonnay Rose, as well as a Chardonnay Blanc Musquè with intoxicating aromas, sometimes used as a cut. Some of the 34 official French clones of Chardonnay have a similar grape scent, especially 77 and 809, which are quite widespread today, which can bring a unique aromatic note to blends with other clones of the variety. The enthusiastic application of clonal selection techniques in Bourgogne has meant that today winegrowers can choose from a wide range of clones specially selected for their productivity, especially the 75, 78, 121, 124, 125 and 277. Who instead he focuses on quality, he will more likely choose 76, 95 and 96.

Chardonnay cuttings are sought after all over the world and in many countries France, America, even Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, despite the strict quarantine it is the white variety for which nurserymen received the greatest demand in the late eighties. due in part to consumer demand for full-bodied whites with the magic word Chardonnay on the label, but also to the spectacular growth of the global sparkling wine industry. Chardonnay enjoys such fame that it is probably the variety that has had the most cuttings smuggled in by ambitious producers frustrated by plant quarantine regulations.

While this premium white variety has surpassed Sémillon and Riesling in planting area, even though roughly three-quarters of the country's Chardonnay is planted in Champagne or Bourgogne, from there the variety has made its way south and west. It is contemplated in a growing number of denominations and can be found in Alsace, Ardèche, Jura, Savoy, Loire and above all in Languedoc, where it was initially introduced to give an international appeal to the citrine wines of Limoux.

Chardonnays in California

When in California the hectares in Chardonnay counts 26,600 ha. Almost half of Californian Chardonnay is concentrated in the counties of Sonoma, Napa and Monterey, but it is also fairly present further south, in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. The quality ranges from ambitious, expensive wines that are noticeably smoother and easier than classic Burgundians to commercially sweet blends, but the archetype remains much the same: bright, golden wines with a touch of wood.

Chardonnays in Australia

The key export sector of the Australian wine industry is based on characteristically exuberant Chardonnays. Products rich in fruity aromas, often tempered by added acidity and enhanced by a touch of oak, can be found at reasonable prices. The style ranges from citrine products from cooler locations in Victoria and Tasmania to almost syrupy and smoky blends from the warm irrigated vineyards of the interior.

Chardonnay in New Zealand

New Zealand Chardonnays contain significantly higher natural acidity than their trans-Tasmanian neighbours. While it can grow in relatively warm climates, it must be harvested before the acidity wears off (often before the grape has acquired any real character) and requires quite sophisticated techniques and the use of cellar cooling technology. That's why it doesn't fit well in less developed Mediterranean wine regions.

Chardonnays in Italy

The variety continues to be planted in a growing number of countries. Italy boasts a long history of cultivation of Chardonnay, over 6,000 hectares species in the subalpine belt. For decades no great distinction was made between Pinot Blanc also called Weissburgunder in Alto Adige and Chardonnay (traditionally called Gelber, or Golden, Weissburgunder in Alto Adige.

The pressures of the international market have finally convinced the Italians that the distinction could be useful, even if the authorities have been slow to allow this ominously Gallic grape to officially appear in a DOC. Alto Adige Chardonnay was the first to obtain the DOC in 1984, and since then the grape variety has charmed producers from all over Italy, from Puglia to Piedmont and, of course, the French-speaking Valle d'Aosta. Today a large part of Italian Chardonnay is produced, often without great results, in Friuli and Trentino and to a more limited extent in Veneto, where it is used above all to balance the Garganega di Soave. Some good ones are produced in privileged areas of Friuli and Trentino, but a considerable part is used for sparkling wines. Almost all of the most ambitious Italian still Chardonnays are aged in wood and produced with every possible winemaking technique. The vine quickly made its way and was planted in Tuscany where Sangiovese matures with difficulty and in Piedmont to replace Dolcetto, which can find it difficult on the market.

Chardonnays in Austria

In Austria a foreign vine called Morillon in Styria and Feinburgunder in Vienna and Burgenland has been identified as Chardonnay. Some Austrian Chardonnays are quite rich and are aged in oak, others are subtle and aromatic, following the example of their best Rieslings, still others are sweet straw wines.

Chardonnay in Germany

Germany was one of the last wine producing countries to include Chardonnay among the authorized varieties, but to a very limited extent; this should not come as a surprise, because handing over one of the country's privileged areas to this exquisitely French variety was judged by some to be a defeat for the noble German white variety, Riesling.