Where do you find these wines in GA? Letters to Jane Garvey June 15th, 2006 Chardonnay to Chablis

The gentleman with an off-shore accent perused the array of white wines before him, and ticked off their names; Puilly-Fuissé; Corton Charlemagne; Meurusault; Chassagne-Montrachet. He sniffed. He mulled. And he said: "That's nice, but where's the Chardonnay?"

By now you're probably gasping in horror, but that's a true story. I personally overheard this conversation during a tasting as I was positioning my glass for the Corton Charlemeagne.

You see, they're ALL Chardonnay. Chablis; St.-Véran; Beaujolais Blanc; Mâcon-Villages, Pouilly-Vinzelles and a whole host of other white wines from Burgundy are made from Chardonnay. Not just a grape, it's also a village, and a very charming one at that, in the Mâconnais part of Burgundy.

The grape responds to a variety of winemaking methods, and may be done solely in stainless steel, totally in oak or a blend of the two. It may be made as a still or sparkling wine; and dry or sweet, the later when it is picked late and has been affected by the noble rot, or botrytis cinerea. It may be vinified solo or made part of a blend. Most Chardonnay--but there are exceptions--will not last many years, and should be enjoyed young and fresh.

Chardonnay is not monochromatic; indeed, myriad clones allow the viticulturalist to choose what to plant, responding to soils, climates and the vision of Chardonnay that the winemaker has in mind. The vines are planted in this country literally from California to Long Island, NY. Canada, South Africa (where some of my favorites are produced), South America, Australia, New Zealand, and just about every cool-climate spot on the planet makes a home for Chardonnay--17 countries in all.

Chardonnay's popularity has perhaps dimmed somewhat, as consumers, bored with the 80's style over-oaked, over-cropped (in some cases), over-the-top versions fell predictably from favor. Pour out that big golden color into a glass, and some consumers still threaten to swoon. Most, however, have caught on to the fact that the buttery, oaky Chardonnays we once craved simply don't go with food. Or at least not with very much food.

After reading a colleague's constant recommendation of chicken in cream sauce (classic French poulet а la créme) as a companion for such wines, I made some one night, and pulled out a California Chardonnay. Words fail the wordmonger to describe how completely awful the sensation was. This bonanza of creamy richness supplied no acidity to cleanse the palate. The palate simply couldn't come up for air. I slapped a cork into the bottle and ran for a Burgundy. Ah. Now, that's another story. Why? Because the acidity rules, slicing like a scalpel through the richness of the cream.

And when Chardonnay DOES last beyond the normal few years, it's thanks to that acidity. In 1995 at VinExpo in Bordeaux, I tasted a Château de Fuissé Puilly-Fuisse 1961, albeit a great year for starters. Nearly three and a half decades old, the wine still tasted fresh. Now, keeping conditions at the chвteau also helped, but that acidity played a great role. At the same tasting, an Etienne Defaix 1947--another great year--Chablis, nearly as old as I, had ambered with age, and acquired the richness of toasted hazelnuts, but still had crisp acidity and plenty of fruit.

Chardonnay is coming around to a more balanced, less over-the-top character, although there still are plenty examples of the oak-water sort. At a recent restaurant opening, a white Burgundy was offered (see the Vincent Girardin below), and a California Dijon clone Chardonnay. The Girardin was delightful, and a good value for a white Burgundy. But the California version could not be swallowed after about a half dozen sips. Sadly typical. And it was NOT cheap.

These examples are mostly unoaked, while a few show different kinds of oak treatments, ranging from partial oak aging to aging in neutral barrels. The line-up will give you a chance to do some comparisons and see what you think of Chardonnay's potential as a wine that can go with food. Not as a wine masquerading as a cocktail. Serve them moderately chilled, about 55-60 degrees, in tall tulip-shaped glasses, or even go for Burgundian balloon-shaped glasses. Consider decanting them, as all great white Burgundies should be, about 30 minutes before serving to encourage them to open their flavors.

Jane Garvey

Food Pairings: Sweet rather than briny (e.g., Apalachicola) oysters with lemon (very good); smoked salmon mousse; Alsatian onion tart; grilled scallops with potato caramelized onion purée; shrimps and scallops on creamy stone-ground grits with a garlic cream sauce; flounder with tartar sauce; paella; mild curries (curried chicken salad) and sweet curried Cape Malay dishes

Price: $9
Wholesaler: Big Boat Wine Co.

Food Pairings: Oysters and lemon, scaloppini al limone, gnochi with cream sauce and fresh herbs, halibut or other firm white fish sautéed and with a good tartar sauce; grilled chicken apple sausages with purée of potato and caramelized onion; calamari with lemon aоoli, butter-baked crab-stuffed shrimp

Price: $15
Wholesaler: Georgia Crown

Food Pairings: All sorts of aperitifs, seafood and white meat dishes: sautéed sift-shell crab; grilled scallops; baked or sautéed halibut; garlic-grilled shrimp, crab cakes, King crab legs with drawn butter, oysters with lemon, baked Vidalia onions hollowed out and stuffed with potato pure

Price: $17
Wholesaler: Grapefields

Food Pairings: Terrific food wine, supports cuisine, and doesn't get in the way. Sautéed soft-shell crabs; crab cakes, King crab legs with drawn butter, grilled chicken apple sausage; calamari with lemon aоoli; any mild-flavored fish poached, in parchment paper or baked; onion tart; pasta with cream sauce; crab-stuffed flounder with brown butter

Price: $17
Wholesaler: Empire Distributing

Hendry Chardonnay 2005
Napa Valley, CA

Score: 88 Points

Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied dry white wine; pale greenish straw. Banana, Asan pear/apple shape the aromas, while the palate finds white peach and white apricot giving the apple-centered flavors a little extra hooah. Brisk acidity (,65) and low ph (3.36) make for a balanced wine. Entirely done in stainless steel, with no malolactic fermentation (thus no "butteriness"), the result is lean, crisp and pure. If you want to Chardonnay in its pristine state, try this one.

Food Pairings: Taramosalata; baked, roasted or raw sweet (not briny) (e.g., Apalachiacola) oysters with lemon; grilled scallops with honey mustard mayonnaise; salmon ceviche with citrus; scallops and shrimp on grits with a garlic cream sauce; pasta with creamy garlicky sauces and fresh herbs; some exotic seasonings, such as mild curries or tumeric.

Price: $19
Wholesaler: Grapefields

Food Pairings: Summer's best aperitif wine: Smoked salmon dill mousse, mild curried chicken salad, oysters with lemon, grilled scallops, gnocchi or other pasta with a cream sauce, scaloppini al limone, grilled or sautéed halibut or other firm mild fish with tartar sauce or just lemon, grilled trout lined with fresh herbs and rubbed with olive oil and sea salt, grilled shrimp; goat cheese

Price: $20
Wholesaler: Grape Expectations