Men, Don’t Give Chardonnay the Cold Shoulder…
May 11th, 2009Two things I just learned about Chardonnay:
Squatter's Rights release 1. You shouldn’t serve a good one too cold.
2. It isn’t just for desperate housewives.
Somewhere in the last 20 years or so, Chardonnay became the most popular white wine in the world. California became a Mecca of oaky, buttery, easy-drinking Chardonnays, which led to yuppie housewives calling it their “poison,” which led to the mass-production and homogenization of the varietal—which led to a backlash against the wine with the “ABC” (Anything But Chardonnay) movement by wine snobs. In 2002 there were 52 British babies named Chardonnay and another 14 named Chardonay; In 2003 there were 91 Chardonnays born in the UK. Like the character in Sideways who famously announced, “I’m NOT drinking any fucking merlot!” I pretty much gave up on the Chardonnay after 2000. What a mistake.
Just because every wedding I ever attended featured tidal waves of Chardonnay and because half of Trader Joe’s wine section is dedicated to the style, didn’t mean that there weren’t great producers still meticulously crafting interesting Chardonnays. Case in point: The Stuhlmuller 2007 Estate Chardonnay.
One of the first things I noticed about the wine was the direction on the bottle that said not to serve it too cold. The only other person who served me white wine just south of room temperature was Kevin Kennedy, and I fired him an email to find out more. His response was enlightening:
“The 50-60 degree range is probably ideal for Chardonnay, with closer to 60 being the most common recommendation. Most of us will take it out of fridge/cellar, open and taste as the wine naturally rises in temperature over the course of the dinner/bottle. This is the most common way to experience the different aromas, bouquets and flavors of the wine.
When working or enjoying the heat of summer there is nothing like a cool, crisp glass of Chardonnay right out of the fridge and into the glass. It may not be proper wine etiquette, but it sure hits the spot (I am guessing, like a shot of your favorite tequila right out the ice chest after your last wave of the day).”
A Merchants of Venus (aka Dirty Little Business) video
Chardonnay like a shot of tequila after surfing? This definitely wasn’t the 1990s version of “mother’s little helper” I normally associated with “chards.”
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines video
Marathon Man download buy The Return of Swamp Thing So I popped the wine right out of the fridge, poured a glass, and settled into a playoff basketball game. The color in the glass was a wonderful light golden hue (almost matching the uniform of the team I was supporting), and although it had a familiar oakiness, there was something special there. The taste was definitely crisper than any other Chardonnay I’ve tasted, but it still had a richness that was both complex and slightly creamy. By halftime, that complexity had doubled, at least, as the temperature rose slightly. Damn. Kevin was right… as usual. I noticed some pear and honey undertones, as well as some refreshing citrus that went really well with the wasabi peas I was chomping on by the handful. I ran upstairs with a glass for my wife to see if she would like it (thinking that maybe Chardonnay had turned into a macho-man drink). She shot my theory down after her first sip and scolded me for drinking half the bottle without her.
