Is there such a thing as a good Chardonnay?

[wondersofwine]

First, welcome to the board. Come back often. Hopefully, I won't be the only one to respond. Of course there are good Chardonnays. Most of the members of this forum feel that most California vintners go too far with new oak barrels for fermentation and aging of Chardonnay (rather than using stainless steel vats for fermentation and older wooden barrels which don't impart so much wood flavor). Red wines seem to benefit more from aging in wooden barrels, while white wines can be overpowered by an oaky aroma/taste--liking chewing on a toothpick. Some French chardonnays are not put into oak barrels--most of the wines from the Macon region for instance, or Chablis wines (Chablis is recognized as a distinct district with white wines from the Chardonnay grape). Some chardonnays from Australia and New Zealand are "unoaked." Kim Crawford produces an unoaked Chardonnay. And I happen to be fond of white burgundies which do see some oak aging but have the structure and fruit to integrate with it (a village Mersault or Puligny-Montrachet for example).
On the other hand, many Americans have become accustomed to the oaky flavor of California chardonnays and gravitate toward
Kendall-Jackson, Chalone and other brands.
That's why restaurants carry them even though they are not particularly food-friendly wines. With appetizers you might consider a crabmeat dip or large mushroom caps stuffed with a crabmeat mix--something along those lines. Buttery chardonnays are said to be a good match for lobster tail with butter-lemon dipping sauce but I don't know that you'll want to be serving lobster appetizers.
Hope this helps.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 08-08-2002).]