Chardonnays raised in stainless steel or other neutral media instead of in oak barrels can make versatile warm-weather sips.
(Stephen Meuse for The Boston Globe)
PLONK OF THE MONTH
Praise for the 'naked' chardonnays
Chardonnays raised in stainless steel or other neutral media instead of in oak barrels can make versatile warm-weather sips.
(Stephen Meuse for The Boston Globe)
The ancients made wine in pits carved from rock and stored it in terra cotta jugs. When winemaking migrated to northern Europe, wooden barrels became the container of choice. Less airtight than stoppered clay, barrels let wine interact with oxygen and the wood itself. Stored this way, wine underwent alterations aficionados eventually came to appreciate. Today one can hardly imagine top-flight white Burgundy or elite California chardonnay minus the subtle garnish of toast and vanilla conferred by a new oak barrel.
But adding those oaky notes by putting wine into a new barrel is a very expensive proposition. A cheaper alternative flips the process: oak in the form of staves, chips, or (one hesitates to even admit this) sawdust, goes into the wine. The result of this sort of manipulation has been a dispiriting flood of low-rent chardonnays that in addition to being truly terrible in their own right have dealt an undeserved blow to the reputation of a noble varietal.
Happily, a reaction has set in taking the form of chardonnay sans oak. Raised in stainless steel or other neutral media, these "naked" chardonnays cast fruit and soil flavors into high relief. At their best these woodless wonders are crisp, bright, fresh young things that make versatile warm-weather sips either at table or as an aperitif. Thankfully, some good examples of in-the-buff chardonnay exist at $12 and under - just barely.
Lagaria IGT Venezia Chardonnay 2007. Shapely mouthful of pear/apple fruit with a nutty grace note and some exuberant acidity. A lively match for salads and sandwiches. Around $10. At Cambridge Wine & Spirits, 617-864-7171; Nejaime's Wine Cellars, Lenox, 800-946-3988; Kappy's Liquors, Sudbury, 978-443-6464.
Bodega Septima Mendoza Chardonnay 2007. Ripe, soft, juicy, and tinged with tropical fruit, but fine zip too. Lovely warm-weather back-porch sip. Around $10. Wine Emporium, South End, 617-262-0379; Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, 508-347-2231; Cambridge Wine & Spirits.
The Wishing Tree Western Australia Unoaked Chardonnay 2008. Australian Premium Wine Collection guru John Larchet loves perfumed whites, and the profile here is more like an aromatic sauvignon blanc than chardonnay. Still, it's well within the standard deviation. A frequent Plonkapalooza standout. Around $10. At Magnolia Wine Company, Watertown, 617-924-6040; Whole Foods Market, River St., Cambridge, 617-876-6990; Nine East Wine Emporium, Natick, 508-653-6221.
Domaine Talmard Macon-Chardonnay 2007. A favorite since Howie Rubin of Bauer Wines introduced it to us almost 10 years ago. The '07 is a little richer and softer with plenty of those soil flavors we love. House white par excellence. Around $12. At Bauer Wine and Spirits, Back Bay, 617-262-0363; the Wine and Cheese Cask, Somerville, 617-623-8656; Groton Market Wine & Spirits, Groton, 978-448-6387.
Four Vines Santa Barbara County Naked Chardonnay 2007. Some lush New World fruit; satisfying breadth, depth, and interest; neatly balanced and proportioned with a pleasantly firm feel. Just awfully nice. Around $12. At Federal Wine & Spirits, Boston, 617-367-8605; Trader Joe's, Cambridge, 617-491-8582; Menotomy Beer & Wine, Arlington, 781-646-0889.
Stephen Meuse can be reached at onwine@comcast.net. 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
