Chardonnay is a widely popular grape variety known for its diverse range of styles. It offers everything from lean and chalky wines to rich, creamy ones aged in oak. It even produces some of the world's finest sparkling wines.
The taste profile of Chardonnay is incredibly versatile, thanks to different winemaking techniques and climates. Unoaked Chardonnays from cool climates, also known as "Chablis-style," offer fragrant notes of green apple, pear, and citrus, with hints of chalk or minerals. On the other hand, oaked Chardonnays, particularly in the Burgundian style, present rich aromas of peach, mango, lemon, vanilla, butter, and sometimes a touch of toasted bread or nuttiness due to oak influence.
On the palate, unoaked Chardonnays are lean, crisp, and high in acidity, resembling the freshness of Sauvignon Blanc but with more body. Oaked Chardonnays have a full-bodied, creamy mouthfeel, moderate acidity, and flavors of butter, vanilla, baking spices, and stone fruit. Both styles often share an underlying note of apple or citrus. With age, Chardonnay develops hazelnut aromas.
When serving Chardonnay, the temperature varies depending on the style. Sparkling Chardonnay should be served very chilled, while leaner styles like Chablis should be slightly cooler, and oaked styles a bit warmer. A white wine glass is suitable for all styles, but flutes are often used for sparkling wines, universal white wine glasses for leaner styles, and aroma collectors for oaked versions. Decanting is usually unnecessary unless the Chardonnay is quite old.
Chardonnay pairs well with a wide range of foods due to its versatility. It complements shellfish, creamy sauces, white meats like pork and chicken, and even vegetarian dishes with rich or starchy vegetables. The acidity in lean and sparkling Chardonnays pairs well with creamier dishes and seafood, while oaked Chardonnays pair well with richer foods like crab cakes, linguini vongole, halibut, and pork tenderloin.
Here are five fun facts about Chardonnay: it is one of the most planted white grapes worldwide, it often undergoes malolactic fermentation, the Wente clone from California is the source of nearly 80% of American Chardonnay plantings, it is considered a winemaker's grape due to its butter and vanilla notes from winemaking methods, and "Blanc de blancs" on a Champagne label indicates 100% Chardonnay.
Chardonnay is grown in various winemaking countries, but it originated in Burgundy, France. In Burgundy, styles range from rich and oaked in Meursault to lean and mineral-driven in Chablis. In California, Chardonnay adapts to diverse climates, producing mineral-rich wines in cool Sonoma Coast and tropical, opulent wines in warmer Napa Valley. Australia also produces Chardonnays in a Burgundian style, with cooler climate zones like the Yarra Valley and Margaret River crafting fruit-forward yet acidic wines. France, the USA, Australia, Italy, and Chile are among the top countries with significant Chardonnay plantings.