Just Say 'No' To Overblown Chardonnay
Written By: Brian Freedman on Thu, Jan 17th 2008
I cannot tell you how often my wine students claim a great dislike for Chardonnay. It's too buttery, they say, or too oaky. And while they certainly have a point-for a long time, too many Americans associated Chardonnay with bad Chardonnay-they almost universally change their opinion once they are exposed to the real stuff. Chardonnay, after all, does not have to be overdone. In fact, its range of styles runs from the crisp, flinty bottlings of Chablis to the superlush ones of Napa, and covers seemingly every possible version in between.
These days, there is movement away from the big, dramatic butterball-style of Chardonnay in America; it's heading in the direction of more finesse, more food-compatibility, more restraint. The Simi 2004 from the Russian River Valley is a wonderful example of this new style of American Chardonnay, and a harbinger of delicious things to come.
