February 16th, 2006 (Regarding ABC--Anything But Chardonnay)

Jane,

Yes, some would argue so, but not the better Chardonnay producers and estates! To fault a category for the sins of the inadequate is insincere and misleading. Just my personal observation.

Best Regards,

Chris Martin
Southern U.S. Divisional Mgr.
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Chris,

I just wanted to take a minute this morning and write to thank you for your close reading of my article "Anything But Chardonnay" (February 16, 2006). It's good to know that good eyes are keeping a close watch on me! And I appreciate your taking the time to respond to it.

This is a subject I have treated time and again over the years. Early on in my wine writing, I began to test some of the food-and-wine pairings I found so often repeated, even in the work of esteemed colleagues, and found them wanting. Specifically, I found heavily oaked, 100% malolactic (thus acidless and buttery) Chardonnay utterly incompatible with food. Poulet а la creme and a good acid-backed lean Pouilly-Fuisse talk each other's language, but chicken in cream sauce and oaky, acidless Chardonnay do not. .

This isn't about the "sins of the inadequate." It's about an approach to Chardonnay that we have fostered in American wine making ostensibly to please judges in competitions, never mind what is really good. And having judged lots of competitions across the country, I understand this game. But I intensely dislike the effect it can have on wine making, nowhere more obviously than in the case of Chardonnay.

Right after I wrote that article, I had an experience that unwittingly supported my beliefs that Chardonnay in this country is made to play the competition game, not to make great wine. At the opening of a small restaurant near my home, two were served. One, an inexpensive Burgundy, and the other a well-known California Chardonnay highly touting its vines as being "Dijon clones." A good comparison, in other words. The prices were comparable, too. The Burgundy was delicious, with glorious classic Chardonnay pear/apple fruit, oak used just to soften and round the acidity, yielding a silky texture. The California Chardonnay smelled overtly of oak with some fruit gamely fighting to get out of the glass. With my first taste, I thought, well, fruit and oak are somewhat integrated. But with each subsequent taste, the oak became increasingly powerful, not unlike the effect a very spicy dish will have on the palate, becoming increasingly hot with each bite. By the sixth sip, I literally could not swallow another drop. That kind of palate fatigue never happens with a correctly made Burgundy, such as the first wine.

I do think the Burgundian model is becoming more the standard for some American winemakers, but not enough. Not infrequently, that ideal gets lip service, and not infrequently I'll hear some winemakers assert that they follow Burgundian models, yet I still wind up spitting splinters.

Thanks, again, for the challenge. I hope to hear back from you on this subject, and on many subjects in the future as I go down this new "wine road."

Jane

February 17th, 2006 (Regarding ABC--Anything But Chardonnay)

Hi Jane,

Your column ABC is a hoot! Perhaps in the future you will include Vermentino! I am sending you a bottle along with our Pinot Grigio (which will be released mid-March).

Wines are not available in Georgia yet but can be purchased at our winery or ordered through the website.

All the best - come visit when you can.

Susan Lyons
Raffaldini Vineyards & Winery
450 Groce Road
Ronda, NC 28670
336-835-9463

Susan,

Thanks so much for responding to my column. You all are doing such a great job up there, and are real leaders in advancing the cause not only of North Carolina viticulture but also the cause of Italian varieties, which do so well in food-wine pairing. (Raffaldini Vineyards & Winery, Elkin, NC). When I visited your tasting room shortly after you opened (2004), I knew great things were going to come from your labors.

Vermentino is just one of a clutch of Italian white wine grapes that go so well with food, especially seafood. This summer, we will do a round-up of white Italian wines, and Vermentino would make a good one to discuss in that context. I wish I could feature yours, but without distribution in Georgia, so that retailers can offer it for sale, I can't. However, I can mention in the introduction that Italian varieties are being given a shot in Southern viticulture--you're not alone in this regard, as I'm sure you know--and -mention your work with Vermentino. Hopefully, before then, I can do another pass through North Carolina vineyards--there's a lot I haven't seen--and come by for a tasting opportunity. I look forward to that eventuality.

Please continue to let us hear from you.

Jane

Wishing you all sweetness,

Jennie Schacht
President, San Francisco Professional Food Society

Jennie,

Thanks so much for your kind note. You should know that as I type your book is next to me all full of yellow Post-It note tabs so I don't lose track of the recipes that speak most enticingly to me. I'm going to do "dessert wines with summer fruits" in the early summer (peach season around here), and am planning to fall back on your wonderful work again for a repeat mention.

Thanks for doing such a great job on the subject.

Jane

April 6th, 2006 (Regarding Offbeat Reds)

Bravo for your Off beat Red article. I work in the wine biz in the San Francisco area, selling both European imports and small producer Napa & Sonoma boutiques. I applaud your article introducing some lesser known varietals at intro price points to you Atlanta audience. Your writing style is very good, down to earth, not written by "a lawyer".

Cheers,

Don Rutkoff
Old Vine Imports, Inc.

Donn,

Thanks much for your kind note. I work very deliberately to avoid both legalese and winese. If we are going to communicate about wine (or anything for that matter), then we need to avoid verbal clutter like the plague it is.