Notable Chardonnay Regions

Notable Chardonnay regions are:

• USA - California and Washington
• France - Bourgogne (Burgundy)
• Australia
• Italy

Sparkling Chardonnay

Chardonnay is an important component of many sparkling wines:

• French Champagne
• French Cremant
• Italian Franciacorta.

Chardonnay Plantings

About Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a grape with a limited (not very aromatic) taste. It produces neutral wines that need help to become interesting.

This can be done in several ways. One common way is to ferment or store the wine in oak barrels.

Chardonnay also easily absorbs the taste of the soil (terroir), and this is consciously used to complement Chardonnay's taste profile in Europe.

Quality Chardonnay wines always have a round character, a great length, and a rich after-taste, but Chardonnay shows a multitude of styles all over the world, from totally uninteresting, strong alcoholic wines with artificial fruit aromas, to the world's most sublime, perfect balanced wines.

In cool climates, Chardonnay can have a light body with noticeable acidity and flavors of citrus, green apple, and pear.

In warmer locations the flavors are more yellow apple, peach, melon, and tropical fruit such as pinapple.

Chardonnay is popular for 3 important reasons:

• Easy to drink
• Easy to grow
• Easy to sell

Chardonnay wines have no sharp edges and no high acid content. The grape produces large crops and it is not picky about soil and climate. The fact that the wines are easy to sell, also contributes to the grape's popularity among the wine producers.

Chablis vs California

Chablis in France and California in USA are good examples of two very different expressions of the same grape.

Chablis is best known for producing excellent, fresh, and light wines with appealing apple and citrus aromas

California is best known for power, heavy oak, and tropical aromas.

People who like Californian Chardonnay with low acid and high alcohol, may say that a young Chablis is too acidic, and some people may say that they don't like the taste of Chardonnay, because they don't like the taste of oak.

Chardonnay Vinification

Many of the Chardonnay flavors come from terroir (soil) and climate.

But, Chardonnay is also a "Winemaker's grape", and in the hands of a good winemaker, real magic can happen in the wine cellar.

Unoaked Chardonnay is stored in steel or plastic tanks, while oaked Chardonnay is aged in oak barrels.

Steel Tank Chardonnay

Steel tank fermentation produces light and mineral Chardonnays, like the famous French Chablis.

These regions are known for high-quality steel tank Chardonnay:

• Chablis, France
• Loire, France
• Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
• Sonoma, USA
• Oregon, USA
• Western Australia
• Chile
• Argentina

Malolactic Chardonnay

Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) softens the acidity and produces a creamy (buttery) texture with flavors of butter and hazelnut, like the famous French Mersault.

Oaked Chardonnay

Barrel Fermentation, storage, and aging will cause the wine to absorb taste from the wood, like vanilla, caramel, spices, smoke and toast flavors, like Californian Chardonnay.

Oak adds flavors to wine, like Vanilla, Caramel, Smoke, and Coconut.

Oaked Chardonnay is also more creamy. This is from a process called malolactic fermentation that happens in the oak barrels. This implies that the malic acid from the grapes are converted to lactic acid, like the acid in milk. This gives oaked Chardonnay a buttery taste.

Chardonnay in France - Burgundy

Chardonnay was born in France.

Bourgogne (Burgundy) is the world's most famous Chardonnay region.

The area was a prehistoric (Jurassic) sea, and the taste of seashells in the soil, you can also find in its wines.

The most famous light Chardonnays are Chablis and Petit Chablis.

The most famous full body Chardonnays are Mersault and Montrachet.

Bourgogne AOC
Unoaked dry Chardonnay.

Chablis AOC
Chablis (Unoaked dry Chardonnay with high acidity)
Petit Chablis (Unoaked dry Chardonnay with high acidity)

Mâconnais
Mâcon AOC (Unoaked dry floral and aromatic Chardonnay)
Pouilly-Fuissé AOC (Oaked full body Chardonnay)

Côte d'Or
Mersault AOC (Oaked full body Chardonnay)
Montrachet AOC (Oaked full body Cardonay)

The most famous Chardonnay in the light side is Chablis. Chardonnay from Mâcon and Saint-Véran is floral, mild and round, while Mersault and Montrachet are identified as buttery and full bodied.

In France, you often find only the name of a place (Chablis, Meursault, Montrachet) on the label, not the name of the grape. You are supposed to know your geography and the region’s AOC hierarchy.

7 Regional AOC (e.g. Côteaux Bourguignons).

44 Village AOC (e.g. Chablis, Côte de Beaune, Nuits-Saint-George).

640 Village Premier Cru AOC The name of the village is followed by the name of the Climat (e.g. Beaune 1er Cru "Les Cents", Pommard 1er Cru "Les Rugiens", Meursault 1er Cru "Les Perrières").

33 Grand Cru AOC (e.g. Romanée-Conti, Le Clos de Vougeot).

Chardonnay in USA

USA is the largest wine market in the world, and Chardonnay is the number one selling wine. The best Chardonnays comes from Northern California.

High Quality areas / regions:

Sonoma Coast (Cooled by Pasific Ocean breezes)
Napa Valley (Warmer and more tropical)
Russian River (Cooled by sea breezes)
Los Corneos (Cooled by San Pablo Bay morning fog)
Santa Barbara County (Cooled by sea breezes)

California

California is a southerly, hot growing region with plenty of sunshine and little rain. Soils are warm and fertile, derfor is ripening accelerated: it`s not uncommon to harvest grapes in August. It`s even blessed with weather predictability!

Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties (apples, pears, peaches)
Carneros, Sonoma and Napa Counties (flinty)
Monterey County (citric, lemony)
Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County (pineapple, tropical)
Edna Valley, San Luis Obispo County (apricot, fleshy).

Washington State

Chardonnay is the most widely plantet white grape in Washington, and the state produces stunningly good Chardonnays with fruit flavours ranging from apples, pears, peaches and apricots to full-blown tropical.

The climate is colder than in California and results in bright fruit and tropical flavors both in stainless-steel and oak-aged styles.

The winemakers in Washington often use french oak barrels, and the result are often very elegant and "french".

Oregon

In Oregon big winemakers from California and Burgundy (France) have invested in new Chardonnay vineyards.

New York State

New York State has a similar climate to Rhine region in Germany: the area remains cool due to proximity of 11 deep glacial lakes.

This results in a Chardonnay with brisk acidity and clean aromas of apple, pear, white stone fruit and melon.

Chardonnay in Australia

Australia has 10% of the world's Chardonnay plantings and is the third largest Chardonnay grower after France and USA.

High quality areas / regions:

• Margaret River (Western Australia)
• Adelaide Hills (South Australia)
• Morning Peninsula (Victoria)
• Yarra Valley (Victoria)
• Tasmania

Australian Chardonnays have changed dramatically from rich, fully ripened, heavy oked versions to less oaked, better balanced, cooler climate versions.

Margaret River (Western Australia)

Margaret River is one of Australia’s premier Chardonnay producing regions.

The warm climate is tempered by the effects of the Indian and Southern Oceans.

Margaret River Chardonnays are typically concentrated, rich and complex with typical lime-like acidity.

Adelaide Hills (South Astralia)

Adelaide Hills is very well suited for producing cool climate complex Chardonnay.

With an average altitude of 400 metres, it is the coolest wine region in South Australia.

Adelaide Hills Chardonnays are typically complex and textured with peach and citrus flavours.

Morning Peninsula (Victoria)

The cool Morning Peninsula climate and cooling of the ocean, is ideal for producing Chardonnay.

Morning Peninsula Chardonnays are typically medium-weight with flavours of melon, white peach and citrus.

Yarra Valley (Victoria)

The Yarra Valley has an array of micro climates and vineyard aspects which impacts Chardonnay’s style.

Elevated vineyards sites produce Chardonnays that are typically medium-bodied, textured wines with signature flavours of white peach.

Tasmania

Tasmania is of the coolest regions in Australia. The maritime climate creates a lean and zesty Chardonnay with high acidity. In warmer years, the Chardonnay can be more fruity, creamy and rich.

Chardonnay in Italy

Italian Chardonnay is typical lean and crisp. Unoaked Chardonnay can be found in Friuli, Trentino and Alto Adige.

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc are the main grapes permitted in the famous italian Franciacorta.

Early Italian wine production in Südtirol (Trentino-Alto Adige), often confused Chardonnay with Pinot Blanc. Pinot Blanc was called "Weissburgunder" (White Burgundy) and Chardonnay was called "Gelber Weissburgunder" (Golden White Burgundy).

In the late 20th century, Italy started to produce pure Chardonnay, and in 1984, Chardonnay was granted its first DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata) in Alto Adige.

Most Chardonnay is planted in the north, but it can also be found as south as Sicily.

The north areas produce a light bodied unoaked Chardonnays with noticeable acidity and flavors of citrus, green apple, and pear.

High Quality areas / regions:

• Trentino-Alto Adige
• Veneto
• Friuli-Venezia-Giulia
• Valle d'Aosta

In Lombardia and Trentino-Alto Adige Chardonnay is used for high quality Sparkling Wines (Franciacorta and Trento DOC).

Chardonnay in Austria

Chardonnays from Austria are typically fresh and mineral driven.

The name Morillon is traditionally used as a synonym for Chardonnay in Steiermark.
The best calcareous terroirs are in northern Burgenland and Steiermark,
and from some sites in Niederösterreich and Wien (Vienna).

Chardonnays from Austria are typically fresh and mineral driven.

Burgenland is the most famous region.

Chardonnay in Chile

Chile produces cool climate Chardonnay with apple, pear, and tropical fruit flavors.

High Quality areas / regions:

Liamari Valley (Cooled by morning fog)
San Antonio (Cooled by sea breezes and morning fog)
Cassablanca Valley (Cooled by sea breezes)
Central Valley (Only the high altitude areas)

Limari Valley is said to be a perfect region for growing Chardonnay. The soil and climate here tend to produce old world acidity, minerality, and earthiness, combined with new world fruit (the best of both worlds).

Chilean Cardonnay is often good value for money.

Chardonnay in Argentina

The cool regions of the Andes produces a mineral-heavy and vegetative style of Chardonnay.

Argentinian Chardonnay is closer to Burgundy Chardonnay than California Chardonnay.

Chardonnay in New Zealand

New Zealand Chardonnays get first prize for French imitations.

High Quality areas / regions:

Marlborough (North-east on the South Island)
Hawke's Bay (East on the North Island)
Gisborne (East on the North Island)

New Zealand Chardonnay is known to be fruit-driven with concentrated citrus and tropical fruit, but a wide range of styles are produced in New Zealand, from fruit-driven and unoaked, complex examples with elegance, and a touch of oak.

Cool climate regions like Marlborough produce medium to light bodied wines with citrus and savoury flavours, minerality, and great acidity. They often holds good quality, with an elegant balance of citrus, minerals, and tropical fruit.

Warmer climates produce wines with full to medium body, rounder and richer flavours, and softer acidity.

Map credit: New Zealand Winegrowers