Wine Tasting: Chardonnay

We had a small crowd, but we tried a lot of wine! Thanks to those who made it.

This offered a very good overview of different approaches to Chardonnay. Overall, my conclusions were (1) stay away from California Chardonnay under $40 and (2) at almost all price points, the French offer better wine, dollar-for-dollar. That said, there are some great California Chardonnays out there, if you're willing to hunt and pay for them. And we should all be trying more Chardonnays from Burgundy, especially at lower price points. If only those labels and micro-regions weren't so darn confusing!

Here's what we drank, with my favorites in bold:

1. 2014 La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru "Beauroy" $27: Chablis is an area in Burgundy that makes wonderful, relatively affordable Chardonnays, generally finished in steel tanks rather than oak barrels. La Chablisienne is the largest producer in all of Chablis, possibly accounting for up to 35% of the entire production in Chablis. I thought this bottle offered a great dose of what makes Chablis so food-friendly: lots of acid, good fruit, and mineral finish. Would be great with a dozen oysters. 
2. 2015 Keller Estate "La Cruz Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Chardonnay $20 (Elsewhere $40): Oh, this is what gives California Chardonnay a bad name. Right out of the bottle, the overwhelming impression was buttered popcorn. This is what I'm afraid of when I see affordable California chards: too much butter, too rich, too little acid, a mystery what food you'd pair it with. 
3. 2016 Hilliard Bruce "Venus" Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay $25 (Elsewhere $50): A much better California offering than the Keller, I thought the description by Vinous hit the nail: “Bright citrus and floral notes are beautifully lifted throughout. Light tropical inflections develop with time in the glass, adding nuance as well as character.” At $25, not a bad value. At $50, no way. 
4. 2014 Domaine Renaud Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes $20: From the famous 2014 vintage, I thought this was perhaps a bit past its prime, showing as soft on the palate. Good complexity, however, and well balanced overall. As one person put it, a wine for sitting alone and crying on a cloudy day.  
5. 2015 Domaine Auvigue Pouilly-Fuisse Solutré $20: From a wine making family dating back to 1629, made from organic grapes. The best value of the evening, in my view. For $20 at Costco, you get a real French Burgundy, showing solid balance of complex fruit and food-friendly acid finish. Maybe a little too much acid. But for $20, it outclassed the California wines under $40. 
6. 2014 Greywacke Chardonnay Marlborough $30 (Elsewhere $40): New Zealand! Huge aromas of charred oak, but nearly no oak on the palate, which instead was dominated by tropical fruit and excellent acid on the finish. Delivered excitement over subtlety. This was one of my favorites of the evening, especially at $30. 
7. 2013 Failla "Chuy Vineyard" Sonoma Valley Chardonnay $44: The Chuy Vineyard, planted in 1964, is located on the Sonoma side of Mount Veeder. Now here is a Chardonnay that demonstrates the promise of California. Complex, balanced, with good acid on the finish, this was the measure of any of the French wines (but at a higher price). 
8. 2011 Domaine Bruno Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "La Maltroie" $35: Oh, this is why France is so hard to beat when it comes to Chardonnay. Although white Burgundies are often over $100 per bottle, even the more basic bottles like this deliver bright fruit, hints of complex baking spices, and enough acid on the finish to pair well with lots of food.
9. 2012 Jacques Bavard Meursault $40: Another great, reasonably priced Burgundy wine, this time leaning toward the darker flavors and bigger dose of baking spices. A great introduction to the Kongsgaard, I thought, because it offered a similar style, but with a lot less intensity and complexity. 
10. 2007 Kongsgaard Napa Valley Chardonnay $80 (current vintages $120): I put this in as a ringer, to demonstrate both what Chardonnay is capable of, and what California is capable of. As with many other varietals, Chardonnay at these prices is like a completely different wine. Much richer and more intense than any of the other wines, this offered many layers of complexity, finishing with a surprisingly powerful beam of acid, given its age. 
11. 2012 Copain "Laureles Grade" Monterey County Chardonnay $40: So, we should have had this earlier, but I forgot that I opened it until the end of the evening. Another very strong California bottle, showing richness without too much oak. A much brighter style than Bavard or Kongsgaard. But, frankly, my palate was pretty far gone by this point...