Wine Focus (February) - Wine 102 "The Wines of Chardonnay"

For my taste, Chablis and Blanc de blancs Champagne are the best expressions of Chardonnay. Here is one of the latter which I opened for a Saint Valentine dinner at home (all the restaurants are still closed due to Covid 19 ). As a pairing for lobster I don't think it was as outstanding as the fuller bodied and Pinot dominated Bollinger SC which we had for New Year but it was still good.

NV Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Terroirs Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (14/02/2021)
This is my first bottle from this highly regarded grower. I think that it is his entry level cuvée and it is made from Chardonnay grown in Grand Cru plots at Avize, Oger, Cramant & Oiry. Fizz is visibly quite strong in glass and very noticeable but not aggressive on the palate. The bouquet on the nose is very fresh with a citrus touch and gentle fragrance which reminds of an early Spring day. The palate is medium bodied at most, fresh and focussed but not quite bone dry, probably due to dosage, showing aromas following through from the nose with an added touch of biscuit, good balancing acidity, a certain roundness and backbone and good length. Ideal for apéritif, good with lobster but a bit too light for goat cheese. Very elegant and very good. I am keen to try some of his more up market vintage cuvées but the prices are discouraging.
Posted from CellarTracker

[Jenise]

2019 Jules Taylor Chardonnay, New Zealand

Enjoyed this last night. A creamy, high-acid style without much oak influence. Elegantly straight-forward, and probably even better in a year or two than today.

[David M. Bueker]

Tim,

Thanks for the Agrapart note. I like their wines, but availability has been limited lately.

[Jenise]

2018 Goodfellow Family Cellars Chardonnay Willamette Valley
Match stick and pear on the nose, subdued fruit and minerality on the palate. Texturally, acid-driven; didn't decant but recommend it, as it just never quite came together in a cohesive whole. Left open for 24 hours, it probably would. Still, I look forward to trying other bottlings.

[David M. Bueker]

I have a 2013 Goodfellow Chardonnay I will try to open this month. I find his Pinots more immediately appealing, but keep trying Chardonnays too early, when they are all acid and brimstone.

[David M. Bueker]

2015 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (2/18/2021)
See my March 2019 note below. I was wrong. This is not similar to Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay. It is similar to Ramey Rochioli Vineyard Chardonnay. Time has shown this to be brighter, and not quite as full bodied as Hyde.

Sorry for the confusion.


2015 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (3/21/2019)
Richly fruity, significant spice, medium to full bodied, and with a very long finish. It’s a really delicious wine, but very similar to a Ramey Hyde Chardonnay that sells for half the price.

Has anyone found a Margaret River Chardonnay that would appeal to a frugal soul?

[David M. Bueker]

Has anyone found a Margaret River Chardonnay that would appeal to a frugal soul?

No, but then that is not an area I have been looking. I wonder if there are any at my local shop...

I didn't expect to take part in this thread. Apart from tasting samples I have only drunk Chardonnay as a BdB sparkling wine. I last drank still Chardonnay when our wine club visited Burgundy and Chablis in 2014.

However, our wine club organised a ZOOM wine tasting last night with Adam LaZarre in conjunction with a local independent wine shop stockist of his wines. Adam is winemaker and owner of California brand Cycles Gladiator and we got three wines, including this

20210219_Weekend_Wines-Fri-small.jpg

2018 Cycles Gladiator Chardonnay (USA, California)

In the glass this was a golden colour which made me think it was going to be buttery and oaky, but I need not have worried. There was good acidity, it was not buttery or over oaked and it was very drinkable. 14.5%
Any complexity or subtlety it may have had escaped me, to me it was a good quaffer.

[David M. Bueker]

Looking at the Cycles Gladiator site, it appears that accessibility is their goal.

[Jenise]

2015 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux Chardonnay
Opened last night when the Riviera tournament took my guy Tony Finau into a sudden death playoff. Only the second Butteaux I've ever had after an overall disappointing experience with 5 bottles of 2014 Pattes Loup. Found it quite drinkable but am not as enthused as previous CT posters. While we appreciated drinking a wine with some bottle age to show off the minerality, an annoying amount of smoke dominated the nose and segued into smoke, pear and celery salt on the palate. A squirt of lemon cleaned up the finish. Not bad, just not my thing. Currently at Costco for $25.

[David M. Bueker]

2015 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux Chardonnay
Opened last night when the Riviera tournament took my guy Tony Finau into a sudden death playoff. Only the second Butteaux I've ever had after an overall disappointing experience with 5 bottles of 2014 Pattes Loup. Found it quite drinkable but am not as enthused as previous CT posters. While we appreciated drinking a wine with some bottle age to show off the minerality, an annoying amount of smoke dominated the nose and segued into smoke, pear and celery salt on the palate. A squirt of lemon cleaned up the finish. Not bad, just not my thing. Currently at Costco for $25.

Smoke or reduction/sulfur?

I have long been a fan of Michel, and that seems unusual, especially since they are not big on the oak.

Also surprised that you had difficulties with Pattes Loup. I have loved every one of the few bottles I have been able to source.

[Jenise]

We debated about what to call it. It was much much stronger than the flintiness we so love about Chablis, definitely some matchstick in there but the strongest I've experienced so I went with smoke, which had been my first reaction.

Re the PL, I know. You've commented on that before. They were bright yellow, extracted look and flavors, and they didn't hold up. They were also the only bottling left to purchase at the winery--IOW everybody else's least favorite, and I'm not surprised.

[David M. Bueker]

Based on your comments about the 2015 Michel, I popped a half bottle of 2014 Michel Vaudesir. Pure, crystalline Chablis.

Had such a good experience with the Jean-Mark Brocard Chablis, 2014 that we bought the next "frugal" Chablis available at our LWS, 2015 Domaine Barat. Both <$20. The former kept quite well for 5+ days in frig. May open the latter soon.

Developing an appreciation for Chablis.

[David M. Bueker]

Brocard is very good. Never heard of Barat. Will be interested in your notes.

[Jenise]

2018 La Vis Chardonnay Trentino
Crisp and tense, seemingly unoaked with green apple and pineapple notes. Great QPR at $12 locally.