You say Chablis, I say Chardonnay

Chardonnay map - from Wine Folly

Chardonnay is a white wine grape that's grown frickin' everywhere! Well, everywhere in the wine world, that is....

I start my WSET Level 2 course on Tuesday so I looked at the course outline sent to me a few days ago. The first two weeks seem to cover general aspects of wine, wine production, wine pairings, etc. It's not until week 3 that we start looking at specific varietals. During week 3, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the main events.

In my readings and Youtube viewings, I've learned a little about Chardonnay. It can be produced in hot,  moderate and cool climates, each giving the wine a different characteristic. The other interesting thing for me is that Chablis is actually a region where Chardonnay is grown, not the grape (Check out this humorous article, "I don't like Chardonnay, but I do like Chablis". There are many other examples of this region/grape confusion and I will touch on it again in later entries.

Areas of Chablis from Winefolly

I want to get a bit of a jump on things, so I decided to buy a couple of Chardonnay wines and try them out.

This time I went to the Signature liquor store in Pitt Meadows (for those not in the know, a Signature liquor store is sort of an enhanced version of our regular government liquor store). My wife and I looked around and I went over to the fancy wine section and tried to figure out what wines to choose. Luckily, the wine expert (he has been extremely helpful in the past) showed up and I explained my predicament. He suggested two wines, and I bought them both.

The first wine he suggested was a Chablis that was more or less typical for a good example. I haven't drunk a lot of Chablis, so I really didn't know what to expect. The wine was a Drouhin Vaudon Reserve de Vaudon Chablis 2014 ($36.99). Hey, with wine names like that, I'm already sounding like an expert!

After chilling the wine (but not freezing it to a Chablis-sicle) I pulled the wine from the freezer. I grabbed a corkscrew and expectantly punctured the cork. As the cork slowly came out of the bottle, I wondered how it would taste - and then the cork broke! Three-quarters of the cork was on the corkscrew and a quarter was left in the bottle! that made me think back years ago to the cheap corks used for homemade wine where a similar thing would happen and the wine would become saturated with tiny bits of cork. I shuddered. Luckily, after re-puncturing the cork, the final quarter came out smoothly.

The wine was clear and pale golden in colour. The aroma was apples and apricots which was also very evident in the taste. There was an overall fruity taste as well.

There was also something else - herbal? no... spicy? no.... ahh, acidity!

All wine has some acidity but with the Chablis, it was really noticeable. Not that it was bad - it was just noticeable.

It was light bodied (and unoaked, like all Chablis) and had a crisp clear finish.

Overall, it was a very nice wine to drink - a refreshing wine with some delicate flavours. The wine expert suggested seafood with a cream sauce so I whipped up a garlic shrimp cream sauce over homemade linguine. It was a fabulous pairing! The recipe is here - the only difference I made was to only put the shrimp in boiling water for one minute.

I also bought a typical oaked Chardonnay from the US which I intended to try out at a later date. Then our good friends Greg and Sheila called us and we invited them to drop by for a drink. Out came the next Chardonnay!

This one was the Toasted Head Barrel Aged 2015 Chardonnay. This wine is from California with grapes mostly from a place called Dunnigan Hills (20 miles - or 30 km - east of Napa Valley).  It rocked in the label department.

Dunnigan Hills, California - from SVB on Wine

This one was certainly bolder than the first. It seemed a bit sweeter and I could taste apricot (again), butter, maybe some butterscotch (that, after reading the label) and some peach. It was definitely more full bodied than the first one and I think that the order I drank them in was good. I couldn't taste so much apple this time. The acidity was definitely there, however.

Overall, the two Chardonnays were very different. The oaking made a difference but there was also a boldness in the California wine that was contrasted with the subtleness of the Chablis. I think the Chablis was a good one to have with the seafood cream sauce but would be overwhelmed by other, stronger dishes. The California Chardonnay, on the other hand, seemed a bit more versatile, as it had a bolder flavour and could stand up to a variety of different foods - off the top of my head - maybe fish, chicken, and even pork but might overwhelm a seafood with a cream sauce.

This kind of homework, I could get used to!