Posted on: Wednesday, October 27, 2004
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RAISE A GLASS
It's hard to go wrong with 'chard'
By Aaron Trujillo
Chardonnay has to be America's favorite white wine grape.
It is being planted in virtually every major wine-growing region of the world, from the hot, almost arid valleys of southern Australia to the cool, alpine vineyards of the Valais in Switzerland, and with great results. The warm climates — including those in the Napa Valley, Australia and South America — mostly yield rich, fruit-filled wines that develop nicely when barreled in oak. The vineyards of Burgundy, South Africa, Sonoma and the up-and-coming appellations in Santa Barbara County have the potential to make wines with more laser-like concentrations not requiring as much oak to gain complexity.
As advances in technology and ingenuity increase, both in the vineyard and in the winery, so do the number of absolutely terrific inexpen-sive wines available to the public. Thank goodness!
Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!
Advertiser library photo • Trevor Jones "The Virgin" is a lush, suave, well-textured, tropical fruit-scented $15 chardonnay from down under, made without oak influence, hence its name. When you taste it, you will surely understand why it is perennially one of Australia's most highly acclaimed chardonnays. • Catena, a layered, oak-laden, round style of chardonnay from Argentina's most revered winery, is sure to make an impact. It is certainly a wine you could take to a party, one which would win you a lot of friends. • Glen Carlou. On many occasions, I have seen this subtle, seamless South African chardonnay fool the best of palates into thinking it was a world-class French white burgundy. And at $14 a bottle, it is a bargain. • Errazuriz "Wild Ferment." Chile has been a good source for value wines. Here is a tasty, vibrant, lemon-edged contemporary Chilean chardonnay (at one time, a Robert Mondavi project) which provides lots of value for your dollar. • CF wines are among our latest discoveries, (a joint venture between local wine aficionado Chuck Furuya and winemaking superstar Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat). This is a superbly elegant, highly refined, very sleek and sophisticated, though minimally oaked, style of Californian chardonnay, which at less than $18 a bottle is well worth searching for. (In the interest of full disclosure, Chuck works with the restaurant group that includes Vino, where I work.) Aaron Trujillo is wine buyer and general manager of Vino restaurant in Kapalua, Maui. Call Vino at (808) 661-8466, or Little Vino at Restaurant Row, 536-6286.
• Novellum is a very pretty, fragrant, nuanced, wonderfully light and crisp chardonnay from southern France. Interestingly, this winery innovatively ferments the fruit with viognier lees, thus enhancing the wine's delicate floral notes. (Lees are the solids that settle out during winemaking; viognier is a white wine grape known for fruity, floral overtones.) At less than $10 a bottle, it is a terrific value, especially well-suited for Hawai'i's climate.
Chardonnay grapes, which produce America's most popular white wine, are grown in most wine regions.
