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| When oak gets in
the way Linda Murphy |
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
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To oak or not to oak: When it comes to Chardonnay, it's a dilemma. Oak fermentation and aging are standard in the production of New World Chardonnay. Consumers have shown a liking for the aromas and flavors of toasty oak in white wine, as well as the buttery character wine takes on when it's put through a secondary malolactic fermentation, which converts the malic acid (think apples) in the wine to softer lactic acid (think milk). Yet, there has been a mini-revolt by some wine drinkers -- and winemakers -- who are tired of heavily oaked Chardonnay. They want a truer expression of fruit, a crisper wine that tastes of the grape and not of a two-by-four. They want a wine that goes with a wide range of foods, a trick that lavishly oaked Chardonnays have trouble pulling off. Australian and New Zealand winemakers, using the low-oak model of France's Chablis region, began making leaner, "unoaked" and "unwooded" Chardonnays years ago, and now a handful of Californians are giving it a go. Their first efforts are encouraging from a quality standpoint; whether consumers will embrace the style remains to be seen. Unoaked and lightly oaked Chardonnays are typically bright, brisk and minerally and have palate-cleansing natural acidity. The 2001 Justin Paso Robles Chablis Style Chardonnay ($18) is such a wine, with aromas of apple, flint and nutmeg spice. Taking a sip is like biting into a Granny Smith apple, yet with a softer impression. "The wine is tank-fermented so it's more refreshing, more varietal-driven than an oaky style that can obscure the fruit," Justin winemaker Jeff Branco says. "It's a direction we're going in with all our white wines." Some makers of "unoaked" Chardonnays use neutral barrels to round out the wine and add texture; others do this with malolactic fermentation. "Wine develops flavor and aroma better in barrels than in tanks, so we ferment in stainless steel and finish the wine in older barrels that have minimal, if any, oak influence," says Morgan Winery owner Dan Lee, whose 2001 Metallico Chardonnay ($20) from the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County has good palate weight and surprising richness, with spiced apple and lemon flavors and a long, zesty finish. The 2001 Pepi Napa Valley Chardonnay ($14) and the 2000 Sierra Vista El Dorado Unoaked Chardonnay ($10) are also free of oak aroma and taste, driven by their lively fruit flavors of apple, pear and citrus. Try these crisp Chardonnays as an aperitif or with steamed mussels, white meats, baked ham, salads and grilled fish topped with fruit salsa.
DEALS AND STEALSIf I pay $100 for a wine, I expect it to be great. But I get more excited about finding an unexpected great value, a wine that packs more pleasure into the bottle than its price would indicate. I like deals -- wines that deliver more bang for the buck at their price level -- and I love steals, wines of excellent quality at astonishingly low prices. A recent tasting revealed a deal and a steal. -- DEAL: 2000 Hess Select Syrah ($14). It's every bit as good as California Syrahs selling for twice that much. Using grapes from cool sites in Monterey County, winemaker Dave Guffy produced a supple, spicy wine loaded with black cherry, blackberry, pepper and toasty oak notes and ripe tannins. Delicious. Serve with pepper steak, barbecued ribs or roast lamb. -- STEAL: 2001 Buena Vista Lake County Sauvignon Blanc ($7), a brisk New Zealand-style wine with aromas and flavors of gooseberry, citrus and grapefruit zest, hints of melon and fennel, and a great balance of richness and acidity. It's often discounted below $7, so buy a case for the summer and serve it with raw oysters, a goat cheese tart or lemon- and herb-scented chicken. NEW NAPA TASTINGSSome of Napa Valley's most sought-after wines will be available for purchase at a new tasting room opening Aug. 17 in downtown Napa. The Vintner's Collective Tasting Room, located at 1245 Main St., will pour the wines of Mason Cellars, Melka Wines, Vinoce Vineyards, Cafaro Cellars, Patz & Hall Wine Co., Elan Vineyards and Mi Sueno Wine Cellar. Linda Murphy is a Sonoma County-based wine and food writer. You can e-mail her at wine@sfchronicle.com. |
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