In Defence of Chardonnay
O
h — I don’t eat vegetables, I don’t like any of them. Apart from the juvenile absolutism, such sentiments painted with such an incredibly wide brush cross over to absurd. The same holds true with the world’s greatest white wine grape, Chardonnay. Countless factors account for wine tasting the way it does, in the case of Chardonnay, both climate and winemaking decisions weigh heavily on perception in the glass; perhaps more than any other variety Chardonnay could pass for a Chameleon. Flirting with the 48th parallel the white wines of cool, continental climate, Chablis are crafted solely from Chardonnay. They’re bracing, tart, exhibit lean fruit character and rarely exceed moderate levels of alcohol. When dissecting a prototypical Chablis, seasoned tasters would not be describing overt new oak influence. As one of the widest planted white grape varieties on the planet, sensible cool climate expressions are found across the globe, from the maritime adjacent regions of New Zealand, Australia and Chile, to right here in the Cowichan Valley. Granted, Cowichan currently has less than substantial acreage dedicated to Chardonnay, but as our newly minted VQA Sub-GI grows, as will the prominence of this magical variety. Travelling South from Chablis heat units unleash their affect
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on ripening fruit; green apple notes become yellow apple notes and lemon peel flavours transform into tropical fruit flavours. Abundance of sunshine turns bracing and electric acid profiles into a softer, rounder, and more weighty mid-palates as alcohols slowly rise. The warm climate phenomena is especially palpable in inland areas of South Australia, California and southern Okanagan. In the glass, Chardonnay remains one of the greatest white varieties at showcasing impact of climate; precious few other varieties craft exceptional, interesting wines across all viticultural climates. Growing conditions are not entirely responsible for the vast array of styles, aromas and flavours Chardonnay
