California Chardonnay, reimagined? In Pursuit of Balance tasting report
California chardonnay has a bit of an image problem. And probably deservedly so. For years and years, it has seemed like most California chardonnays you’d come across tasted like oak-butter bombs, leaning heavily on the twin crutches of heavy oak treatment and malolactic fermentation. With such heavy makeup on, a lot of CA chardonnay presented a flashy profile that may have caught the attention of new drinkers that need something obvious, but turned off many more experienced drinkers. I know many wine drinkers who will actually refuse a glass offered to them once they hear that it’s Cali chard.
Those people may have reason to start tasting again. Recently I have seen encouraging signs that many California chardonnay producers have started to set their sights on making crisp, sometimes minerally chardonnays rather than lush but flabby ones. But its not necessarily about not using oak or malo – even the best examples of CA chard do to some degree – to me its about finding the balance point at which you can have pleasing fruit, crispness without greenness, and acid cut that’s tensile without being shrill. Several producers who fit this bill were recently pouring their wines at the New York tasting of the group In Pursuit of Balance, a group of pinot and chardonnay producers aiming to make more restrained and elegant wines.
One producer that really hit one out of the park for me at the IPOB tasting was Ceritas. I first met Winemaker John Raytek a number of years ago while visiting Copain, where he was the assistant winemaker at the time. I’ve been aware for a few years that John had struck out on his own with Ceritas and have been meaning to taste his wines ever since then, but never quite got around to it; now that I’ve had my first taste he did a good job of making me regret not tracking down the wines sooner. In particular, I thought the 2010 Heintz Vineyard chardonnay showed great balance and dimension – with some delectable richness to its high quality fruit without being cloying, hints of smoke and mineral on the nose, and glorious tingling acidity to keep the palate enlivened and refreshed. For those who like to have a personal connection to wines and their makers, there are a lot of other reasons to like Ceritas – John and his wife Phoebe Bass bring a very personable touch to Ceritas. I also appreciated that when I ordered some of the chardonnay, that it came with a nice retro-styled postcard about the history of the Heintz vineyard, and was shipped in environmentally-friendly non-styrofoam pulp packaging. Wax capsules on the bottles also add a nice touch. Overall, everything is done in a very thoughtful way – and you can tell that the winemaking is similarly thoughtful; you can get a sense for what I mean by visiting the Ceritas website.
Another producer whose chard was among my favorites was Littorai. Winemaker Ted Lemon is a pioneering winemaker in many ways – and to my palate he produced the strongest lineup across the board at IPOB, which included both chardonnays and pinot noirs. I will write more about him and his pinot noirs in my next blog post, but for now, let me note that his 2010 Thieriot chardonnay, with all due respect to Thomas Rivers Brown, was everything I hoped the Rivers-Marie Thieriot chard would be (but hasn’t quite been yet) – lean, minerally, crisp. If you’re a chablis drinker, Littorai is the California chardonnay you should check out.
A few other chardonnays of note: Copain’s 2010 Brosseau chardonnay was another top contender. Richer than I might’ve expected given winemaker Wells Guthrie’s low-brix approach in recent vintages, the Brosseau nonetheless was pretty darn delicious. Wells told me that with respect to white wines, he has shifted focus to chardonnay from his former efforts with the marsanne and roussanne varieties. Personally, I look forward to tasting the Brosseau and the Ceritas wines in each new vintage to see whether teacher or former assistant turns out the better chardonnay. We consumers will win on both counts, I’m sure.
Finally, Chanin Wine Company’s 2010 Los Alamos chardonnay stood out because it managed to keep a fresh, crisp edge, which I haven’t found often in Santa Barbara chards, which tend to be a bit richer but softer. Gavin Chanin is a promising young winemaker to keep an eye on.
Full tasting notes on chardonnays that I tasted from the IPOB tasting:
- 2010 Ceritas Chardonnay Heintz Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (5/19/2012) Shows a bit more richness than the bottle tasted at IPOB but generally consistent in the balance of high quality fruit balanced by juicy acid. Terrific chard. 93 (93 points)
- 2010 Ceritas Chardonnay Heintz Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/18/2012) Very pretty, with lots of mineral and a touch of smoke on the nose. The palate has a nice dose of juicy fruit with some notable richness, counterbalanced by a mineral edge and acidic foundation that makes one think of a burgundy moreso than California. Has a little bit of everything – very complex chardonnay. A rock star wine for me, but John Raytek says the 2011 is way better – a scary thought given how good this 2010 is. 93-95 (94 points)
- 2010 Littorai Chardonnay Thieriot Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/18/2012) Lean and appealing nose, slightly herbal, but really pretty. Palate is similar – lean with definition, with a hint of unctuousness to it make this very pretty. Very minerally – awesome, awesome chardonnay. One of the best all day at IPOB. 93-94 (94 points)
- 2010 Copain Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone (4/18/2012)Softer, rounded nose than the Tous, with a sweet note to the fruit that is very appealing. On the palate, has a dollop of unctuousness – perhaps a bit rounder than the tensile wine I expected, but delicious. Smooth and pretty, still in balance. Very enjoyable, beautiful chard. 93+ (93 points)
- 2010 Chanin Chardonnay Los Alamos Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/18/2012) Touch of smoke on the nose with fullish round fruit. Crisp and lively on the palate, great acidity. Very pretty, terrific restraint for a Santa Barbara chard. 92-93 (92 points)
- 2007 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Santa Cruz Mountains- USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/18/2012) Like the estate chard, smoky mineral nose with a bit of richness. This is a bit richer and smoother, same range 91+. (91 points)
- 2009 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Estate Bottled Santa Cruz Mountains- USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/18/2012) Smoky, minerally nose with medium-rich fruit. Smooth, pretty, ever so slightly on the herbal side but really quite good. 91+ (91 points)
- 2010 Ceritas Chardonnay Porter-Bass Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (4/18/2012) Quite a bit rounder and unctuous than the Heintz. Still, cool-climate in feel, with an herbal feel. Doesn’t have the razor’s edge tension and complexity of the Heintz, but still good chard for those who want something a bit more lush. 91+ (91 points)
- 2010 Lioco Chardonnay Demuth Vineyard- USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (4/18/2012) Forty-year-old vines. A bit mineral, a little rounder than the RRV. Earthy, with a bit of spritz, quite tensile – like it quite a bit. 91-92. (91 points)
- 2010 Littorai Chardonnay Mays Canyon- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (4/18/2012) Similarly lean nose, like the Thieriot, a bit more floral. Rounder and fuller on the palate than the Thieriot, but I don’t like it as much. Still quite nice. 91-92 (91 points)
- 2010 Sandhi Wines Chardonnay Rita’s Crown- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills – Sta. Rita Hills (4/18/2012) Quite oaky on the nose. Palate is also quite rich. Pretty though. 90-91+ (91 points)
- 2009 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/18/2012) Oakier and richer than most of the other IPOB chards, but considering it’s from Santa Maria, this makes sense to me. Well balanced by nice tart acidity underneath. Some smoky mineral going on here too. Likeable, crowd-pleasing style. 90+ (90 points)
- 2009 Wind Gap Wines Chardonnay Woodruff Vineyard- USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/18/2012) A bit of a funkier stink on the nose than the Gap’s Crown, but a little bit prettier overall as well. A touch rounder and fuller, and more harmonious in general. 89-90 (90 points)
- 2009 Ojai Chardonnay Solomon Hills Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/18/2012) Closer to the coast than Bien Nacido – I like this quite a bit more – livelier. A bit more tension, with lemony acidity. Good tasty wine. 88-90 (89 points)
- 2009 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches au Bouge- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/18/2012) Some richness with an herbal undertone to it. Interesting but somehow this bottle doesn’t quite work for me. 88-89 (88 points)
- 2010 Calera Chardonnay Mount Harlan- USA, California, Central Coast, Mount Harlan (4/18/2012)Also labeled as a 35th anniversary chardonnay. Sweeter fruit and more balanced than the Central Coast bottling on the nose, with a pretty floral aspect. Palate is similarly sweeter and rounder, but I wish for it to be a little livelier, more tensile. 88-89 (88 points)
- 2010 Calera Chardonnay Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Vintage Central Coast- USA, California, Central Coast (4/18/2012) Leans toward green and herbal profile, but has a touch of richness too. Honestly, not a favorite of mine. (87 points)
- 2009 Ojai Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/18/2012) Fermented in older oak, vines from the 1970′s. Good bit of juiciness on the palate – very Santa Maria in its rounded, ripe-ish style. 87
- 2009 Wind Gap Wines Chardonnay Gap’s Crown- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/18/2012) Interesting nose with notes of dirt mixed in with sweet but greenish fruits. Palate is similar, with some unctuousness to the fruit with greenish herbal underpinnings. Rounded yet cool climate in feel at the same time. 89+
- 2010 Copain Chardonnay Tous Ensemble- USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (4/18/2012) Nose a bit neutral, but slightly perfumed and floral. Nice and lively for the price point, a touch herbal on the finish. Smooth and likeable. 87-88. Sourced from Ferrington vineyard.
- 2010 Lioco Chardonnay Russian River Valley- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (4/18/2012) A bit herbal but not quite green. Decent.
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