Versatile Chardonnay - Part 3

With each week’s tastings we continue to appreciate Chardonnay for its versatility and ability to add enjoyment to a meal. We recently savored a flight of exemplary wines with Dungeness crab cakes and Remoulade sauce. This mayonnaise or aioli based sauce features herbs and spices that work well with many Chardonnays.

Something I have noticed again this year is that many wines improve with aeration. Before you render a judgment on a wine as being lifeless and closed in, give it some air by swirling in your glass or even decanting the bottle with aeration.

Penfolds 2017 Chardonnay, Bin 311, TumbaRumba, SE Australia - $40

With the 2017 vintage, Penfolds changed fruit sourcing for this popular Chardonnay to a multi-regional blend. The high-altitude, cool-climate TumbaRumba vineyard is in New South Wales, about 250 miles southwest of Sydney. Also in the blend are wines from Tasmania and a majority from Adelaide Hills. Look for aromas and flavors of pear, white flowers and earthy mineral with hints of apple and yeasty barrel character.

Januik 2016 Chardonnay, Cold Creek
Vineyard, CV - $30

Mike Januik was winemaker for many years at Chateau Ste. Michelle, and he brought along his fondness for their Cold Creek Vineyard when he founded his own eponymous brand. His 2016 Chardonnay continues to be made in the New World style featuring ripe aromas and flavors of citrus, pear and honey crisp apple with notes of toasty oak and lemon curd on the finish – an elegant and flavorful wine for sipping or savoring with food.

Cambria Winery 2016 Chardonnay, Santa Maria - $22

This wine comes from one of California’s truly unique vineyards on the Santa Maria bench in Santa Barbara County.  Each of 15 different blocks of Chardonnay are farmed individually allowing nuances of fruit to emerge.  Lots are blended to create this inviting wine featuring citrus, earthy mineral and apple with notes of vanilla and spicy oak.

Novelty Hill 2016 Chardonnay, Stillwater Creek Vineyard - $23

Winemaker Mike Januik crafts the wines for Novelty Hill Winery from grapes grown at their estate vineyard on the Royal Slope of Washington’s Frenchman Hills.  This Chardonnay opens with aromas of stone fruits, honeysuckle and baking spice that lead to a creamy palate of baked apple with vanilla and hints of toasty oak and mineral – great for sipping or with lighter meals.

Harbinger Winery 2016 Chardonnay, Pipers Vineyard - $25

Energetic winemaker/owner Sara Gagnon continues to produce excellent wines at her facility on Highway 101 in Port Angeles, Washington.  She sources her Chardonnay from Piper Vineyard on Washington’s Royal Slope.  Her Chardonnay offers aromas and flavors of ripe apple, spicy lavender honey and toasty vanilla.  Good acidity and moderate alcohol make it a superb food wine.

Canoe Ridge Vineyard 2017 Chardonnay, Reserve,        Horse Heaven Hills - $20

The name of this value brand from Precept Wines was inspired by the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805, who thought the ridge above the Columbia River (now the Horse Heaven Hills AVA) resembled an overturned canoe. The wine offers reserve qualities of pear and melon wrapped in toasty notes of butterscotch, vanilla and hints of coconut.

 

Spellbound 2017 Chardonnay, California, 4-pack cans - $20/4 pack 250ml

Spellbound Chardonnay features bright and lush tropical fruit flavors of pineapple, banana, guava and kiwi. These bright flavors are balanced with notes of vanilla and classic creme brulee. These convenient cans are great for picnics or trips to the beach, and the wine is fresh and delicious.

Hedges Family Estate 2018 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley - $17

The Hedges family was one of the pioneers of Red Mountain in Washington State and were the driving force to get the AVA international exposure. Family members run the winery including daughter Sarah Hedges Goedhart who is the winemaker. Tiny amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Marsanne were blended into this Chardonnay cuvee to qualify it to wear the CMS moniker – a hallmark of Hedges blended wines. Tasters enjoy aromas and flavors of caramel apple, citrus, baking spice and earthy mineral.

Waterbrook 2017 Chardonnay, Reserve, Columbia Valley - $18

Waterbrook traces its history back to the mid-1980s when the winery was founded in the western Walla Walla Valley. Today, an expansive visitor center and winery are right along Highway 12 offering elegant grounds and a great tasting room welcome. Enjoy the value-priced 2015 Chardonnay for aromas and flavors of pear and white peach with vanilla and baking spice.

Stoller Family Estate 2018 Chardonnay, Dundee Hills - $25

This unoaked Chardonnay is a mix of all the Chardonnay clones grown on the Stoller estate in the Dundee Hills AVA of western Oregon. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed to mitigate phenolics resulting in a delicate wine with complex aromas and flavors. Look for ripe pear, lemon drop, spicy jasmine and notes of baked apple and ginger cookie.

Chehalem 2018 INOX Chardonnay, Willamette Valley - $20

This unoaked Chardonnay has been a favorite with my tasters for over a decade, originally as a seafood or oyster wine, and for many years an all-around crisp, dry white for any lighter cuisine. INOX is the French term for stainless steel, and the wine is indeed produced solely in stainless steel tanks. Look for aromas and flavors of bright stone fruits, floral notes and tropical citrus with hints at exotic fruits and crisp minerality.