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  I
spend lots of time thinking about this grape – not just about the
farming and winemaking, but also about the mystique that surrounds it.
It is the most discussed and debated varietal in the history of
winemaking – Every single year, since the beginning of when things like
this were tracked, Chardonnay has been the number one selling wine in
the world – in restaurants, in stores, in grape sales to wineries, and I
mean world wide! But why? – because Chardonnay rocks! – and great
Chardonnay really rocks!
Don’t get me wrong, I
drink lots of different white wines – and I make and have made many
varietals of white wine, including some fun, new surprises on the
horizon….yet I always love really good Chardonnay. In doing all this
thinking about it – I realize that the process I go thru as the grape
grower and winemaker overlays exactly with the popularity of the grape
overall…only I tend to get extreme about it.
To sum it up, I think
people love Chardonnay because of that combination of the crisp, juicy,
fruit flavors and the rich, lush texture. The more distinct the flavors
of the fruit get, the more one can enhance those characteristics with
spice notes in the barrel and still keep the wine in balance…but
Chardonnay must have the character that gives one the impression of
getting a “mouthful” - Our Chardonnay last vintage was called the “white
wine for the red wine drinker” by one critic, and I think that is what
he was talking about, that full body – the mouth coating, glycerin like,
character we all love in our red wines, but with a lightness, and a
brightness of a white wine – something we can chill down and just sip
till our hearts content.
Now here is where I get
extreme about this concept though – I split the grapes into two
different process’ when they enter the winery, to maximize the best of
those two characters we love in Chardonnay – the rich full body, and the
bright, juicy fruit notes…and when you sip this new 2007, please think
specifically about tasting each of the style components and then also
think about the way they harmonize together. To accomplish and intensify
those bright fruit characteristics I fermented and aged 30% of the juice
in stainless steel barrels, so there is no contact with any oak, leaving
the aromas and flavors pure to the vineyard.
 I also take that part
of the process one - step further – many of you know what ML or malolactic fermentation is; the secondary fermentation that converts the malic acid (the acid that is in apples, which really enhances foods) to
lactic acid (the acid in cream, a much softer acidity)- this stainless
steel portion I do not allow to undergo this transformation – so it
retains all the natural crispness. The other 70% of the juice from my
Chardonnay grapes I ferment in French Oak barrels, but only from the
forests that have trees with the tightest grain, so I can control and
achieve a very subtle toasty spice from those barrels, but still never
“oaky” – to help insure this balanced barrel seasoning, 1/3 of the
barrels I use are new this vintage, 1/3 have been used one year prior,
and 1/3 have been used for two wines prior to this year – this changes
the degree of flavor they impart – think of it like making tea–the
first cup is stronger than the second cup from that tea bag, and the
third even lighter. This 70% that is in the oak barrels undergoes that
ML process described above - so the soft, silky texture is
highlighted.
These two different
treatments make two very different wines – then after 8 to 10 months, I
do some trials to determine just how much of each to use to create that
perfect balance – that “best of both worlds” effect and then make that
blend and bottle it. I then age it in bottle for another 6 to 8 months
for those flavors and characteristics to meld and then each year at
Easter send it to you to enhance and enrich your Spring and Summer! Take
a moment as you share this with friends over the next few months to see
if you recognize the combination of the flavors and the textures - the
similarity of the flavors since they come from the same grapes, yet the
differences that also exist in brightness of fruit and yet richness of
texture, and all the different layers that keep unfolding throughout the
bottle and the meal. Enjoy!
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