02 Jul What’s So Special About Buttery Chardonnay?
Most wine enthusiasts will have had a glass of Chardonnay at least once in their lifetime. But every person will also end up having entirely different experiences. This variety is highly adaptable, which is why it’s also called the world’s most versatile grape. But a Chardonnay also has a distinctive buttery flavour, which isn’t common in white wines. So, where exactly does this flavour come from? Here is some interesting information about buttery Chardonnay.
Buttery Chardonnay – What Is It?
Chardonnay wines often display aromas and flavours ranging from toasted/honey almonds, and parmesan cheese to mushrooms. Winemakers use specific techniques during the winemaking process to introduce these flavours.
Chardonnay, prefixed with “buttery” became quite popular after it originated way back in the 1980s. This trend quite influenced winemakers in California and most of the Chardonnays they made had overwhelmingly buttery flavours.
They had butter bombs that tasted like melted butter. Most wine audiences in the country didn’t fancy this particular flavour, and the trend faded over time. But in many countries, including Australia, buttery Chardonnay with its broader and toastier style has dominated the local market.
How Does it Get Buttery Flavour?
Malolactic fermentation is the process that lends a buttery flavour to the wine. The wine has malic acid in it, and during this process, the acid converts into lactic acid, which has a buttery flavour. This process may also be called the secondary fermentation and is carried out in stainless steel tanks or oak puncheons. The latter results in flavours such as caramel and vanilla showing up in the wine.
Australia’s Oaky Chardonnay
There are numerous world-renowned wine regions in Australia, and it is one of the most notable producers of this particular varietal. The country started producing heavily-oaked Chardonnay with very complex flavourings. It slowly began to gain traction in other countries like France and the U.S. too. Today, buttery Chardonnay is quite a favourite of wine lovers in Australia. Some of the most premium and expensive wines are made using buttery Chardonnay.
The Hunter Valley and Margaret River Chardonnays have distinctive creamy, vanilla and buttery flavours and these wines have a substantial presence on the global wine market. It’s rare to find a wine-lover who doesn’t have some creamy and bold Chardonnays on their list of favourite wines.
Notable Buttery Chardonnays
Here we take a look at some of the most distinctive buttery Chardonnays:
1. The Long Road Chardonnay
This Eden Road Chardonnay highlights the cool-climate wines of Australia. It’s the perfect balance of flinty minerality, spicy notes and buttery flavour. It pairs very well with risotto or mushroom toast.
2. Au Bon Climat “Los Alamos” Chardonnay
This Chardonnay is one of the very best wines in the category. Its buttery flavour is perfect, and even people that prefer not to drink oaked Chardonnays end up relishing it. This wine pairs amazingly well with light mains as it does with cheese platters. It has soft and luxurious creamy notes and viscous textures that make it amazing with burgers too.
3. Stag’s Leap Chardonnay
This fantastic quintessential Napa icon Chardonnay has notes as wide-ranging as freshly-picked lilies, white peach, lemon curd, caramel and even vanilla. It pairs well with foods like seared scallops, roast chicken and cheeses.
4. Cakebread Chardonnay
This is an outstanding premium Chardonnay. Jack Cakebread, a photographer happened to venture into Napa for work over three decades ago. He was smitten by the region, and he continued to live there. Today, Cakebread wines are iconic beverages and some of the best the area produces. Cakebread Chardonnay has a minerally, smoky flavour on the palate and Pippin apples as an over note. It pairs very well with crab and Panini.
5. Radio-Coteau “Savoy” Chardonnay
An amazing, organically-grown Chardonnay and produce of Anderson Valley in California, this wine has autumnal flavours of brown butter, baked golden apples and pie crust. You can serve it with roast chicken and fish dishes with creamy sauces. But it also pairs with spiced vegetarian mains and well-braised pork shoulder.
6. Reserve Chardonnay (Stuhlmuller Vineyards)
This Sonoma Chardonnay is rich yet sleek. It has notes of ripe pear, hazelnut, vanilla and baked apple and goes very well with a B.L.T. and chicken dishes. Its power and richness come from the fact that it’s made from the oldest vines on the Stuhlmuller estate vineyard.
7. Montrachet “Les Enseignieres” (Henri Prudhon & Fils Puligny)
This is undoubtedly a marvellous Chardonnay from Burgundy made partly from 80-year-old vines and partly from 30-year-old vines. It can be cellared and enjoyed now as well.
8. Napa Valley Estate Chardonnay (Far Niente Winery)
Chardonnay was the very first grape cultivated in 1979 by Napa’s Far Niente. This is a classic Californian Chardonnay that has Madagascar vanilla, figs and candied nuts on the palate and acidity to balance out all the fruit flavours. You can age it for at least a decade or drink it now.
Store Your Chardonnays and Other Wines in a Custom-Built Wine Cellar
All of these are classic Chardonnays that are deliciously buttery and have their distinctive notes. No matter which ones you buy, you would want to make sure that they stay in perfect condition till you decide to enjoy them. The best way to ensure that is to store them in a wine cellar.
We at Signature Cellars are the custom wine cellar designers and builders that have the creativity, skill and experience to create superb storage spaces for your precious wines. We work with you to get a good understanding of what your needs are before coming up with unique plans and designs for a custom wine cellar for you.
To find out about how Signature Cellars can help you design and construct a wine cellar that can provide the perfect environment for your wines, while adding value to your home, call us on 1300 570 636 or email info@signaturecellars.com.au. Our experienced staff will respond soon, to discuss your custom wine cellar project needs and pans to get started on your project.
Thanks for reading,
Neil Smallman
Signature Cellars
1300 570 636
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