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Chardonnay Conundrum
When it comes to new-world Chardonnay: I want to speak with those folks in the audience who may find themselves in a Chardonnay Conundrum or anyone who subscribes to the notion that New World Chardonnay is nothing more than over-oaked plonk. While it may be true that the popular style leans toward high ripeness, loads of oak and over-the-top tropical fruits and this has certainly been a trend. This style of Chardonnay has become nothing more than a garden variety lounge drink.
However, I don't think labeling every American Chardonnay as inherently flawed is a fair evaluation of all Chardonnay made here in the states. However, this is the position and the problem, because far too many vino-sapiens who think of themselves as having an "educated" palate will tell you that no-oak and very little mal, is the way to go.
On the other hand, if want to be one of the cool kids hanging around the wine-cooler, just tell you love tepid "un-oaked" Chardonnay or perhaps explain you are a fan of a little village in Chablis, which produces picture perfect Chardonnay. Where the wines will rarely go through secondary malolactic fermentation or are rarely exposed to oak, then you're in like flint, with a wink and a nod. Maybe you'll even a gold star tattooed to your forehead, if you happen to prattle on about the virtues of the formerly groovy Grüner Veltliner.
It’s precisely these attitudes about Chardonnay, such as I've alluded to above which can be found on many other wine review [not this one] websites or places where oenophiles [contort your face, before saying the word] have discussions [around the wine cooler, called twitter] about the purity of Chablis, Un-Oaked Chardonnay or other styles of wine that have never seen evil oak. Though I appreciate [assume] these are not their exact words, still it's that premise that they operate under which causes me to openly rebel. I question this supposed "universal truth" that the New Generation of American Chardonnay begins and ends without the presence of any oak influence or secondary malolactic fermentation.
Honestly there is nothing wrong with that [Chablis] type of wine and sometimes depending on what I may be eating I will prefer that style of Chardonnay myself, but on the other hand you won't find me running around bashing Chablis as being vulgar; even though it tends to have a generally austere and acidic taste, when consumed on its own without the right food pairing.
This type of Chardonnay is NOT going to be your cocktail style of wine, nor one you’ll want to open unwind at the end of hard day, when you just relax, sip some wine and forget about the world for a moment. So, if you were looking to fill that empty glass covered container, which says "break in the case of an emergency” feel free to grab a glass of Chardonnay that may have touched an oak barrel or two, it won’t bite. Until next time sip long and prosper, cheers!
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Just say "No" to Wine Cheerleaders
If you've been reading this blog for even a very short time, then you'll understand I am the antithesis of the corporate shill, because I just plop out the truth and let the chips fall where they may. I don't gush, fawn or jump for joy over every wine and or every winemaker that comes along my path; nope I want the wine to make me say, "WOW"!
I review a lot of wines, which I receive as samples on a regular basis. But I don't publish, a review of every that comes across my desk as a sample. I also review wines that I buy for myself, but again not every wine is reviewed. The majority of wines reviewed by the CCWB are wines that the garden variety vino-sapien will uncork and slurp down on regular basis. I don’t review the trophy wines that sit in restaurant cellars or other fat-cats with disposable incomes the size of a small country, who really never plan to drink that wine in the first place. Oh no, that's not what you'll find here.
That said, as you may know, if I don't particularly "get" the style of a particular wine, then I won't bang on the keyboard here and throw the wine under the bus either. I let you do the math, if the score is low and I say this wine is not my style, it’s most likely a wine to stay away from. If however you want the kind of wine-blog which trashes wines I don't like, by video-taping myself pouring it in the toilet or down the sink, well off with you then because there are plenty of those “types” out there in the blogosphere and as the Stones sing, “you won't get no satisfaction" from this blog.
On the other hand if you want to get the “skinny” on how to get your hands on some mind altering juice that won't break the bank then stay tuned. Because I've come across more winetastic [yes, a made up word] deals that will wow your palate and still allow you buy a loaf or bread or two. But again you won't see me donning a small skirt or waving pom-poms about to cheer-lead for wines that are plonk, just to fill my pages with content. I also won’t put up pictures, as a wordless Wednesday post, just to have the appearance of staying active. When I have something to say, you’re going to get serious well thought out content, worth a two-minute read.
Does this seem like a contradiction, perhaps it's and I freely admit that, because yes I only point out the wines I like and the wines I don't like just don't get published; a fact for which I am marginalized by my peers. Sometimes I do write about the wine that I kind-of like, but I'm not overly impressed with, of course these wines don't get a good score [I know those dreaded scores] but they have achieved a score high enough for me to write about them. I like to think that when I've come across a great [meaning with mass appeal] bottle of wine, it's something I immediately recognize and want to tell the whole world about it. It’s the reason why I write this blog in first place. .
I hope this bit of transparency has given you some perspective on where I'm coming from and where you can expect this blog to go in the future. So there you have it, in a nut-shell the method to my wine reviewing madness [absent the pom-pom]. Continue to sip long and prosper cheers!
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