Chardonnay

Chardonnay is one of the few wines that you really can't nail down to one particular flavor or aromatic characteristic. She's fickle that way, that Chardonnay. Wondering why there is not one, singular characteristic that best describes this white wine loved by many? Let's explore a bit.

So, why is Chardonnay so fickle? That's question is answered easily enough…sort of. Every wine grape has an ancestor, a family tree, if you will, of its origins. Chardonnay just happens to be the descendant of one of the most fickle grapes of all, Pinot. The grape is believed to originate from Croatia, finding its way to France where it was named after a village of the same name. Now, onto the best part about Chardonnay, drinking it.

Long ago, Chardonnay was always casked in oak barrels. These barrels imparted their flavors into the wine, thus causing wine lovers around the world to consistently describe this straw colored wine as "oaky." Such is no longer the case as wineries such as The Wishing Tree with their Unoaked Chardonnay and others casking these wine in steel vats as opposed to oak barrels. The tastes of Chardonnay has varied ever since. Makes you want to learn more doesn't it?

Chardonnay is a complicated wine. Complicated is often good in the wine world, so why not try a few bottles like:

• Mer_Soleil_Chardonnay
• Joseph Phelps
• Varner Vines
• Newell Vineyards

If you have a favorite Chardonnay that you would like to share with the LTK community, don't be shy, share it and tell all of us something we don't know! After all, wine drinkers are always on the lookout for a favorite new wine.

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