Buttery Chardonnays

[Van The Man]

RenieSot -

I can not answer the question specifically, but I can give you an explanation on where the "buttery" flavor comes from. If you have a good retailer that can answer questions on how the wine was made, you may be able to find what you're looking for.

The buttery flavor you are looking for is the result of a secondary fermentation called "malolactic" fermentation. It's the addition of a bacteria (as opposed to a true yeast fermentation) which converts the malic acid in a wine to lactic acid and is not really a fermentation at all. If you ever go to a winery when they are crushing chardonnay grapes, you'll notice the place smells like a big apple crush, especially in cooler climates. That's the malic acid you're smelling.

California Chards and Aussie Chards are often able to get that big buttery taste because the fruit is often big, ripe and lower in many acids. Then, when put through the malolactic fermentation (or ML for short) they take on a buttery, creamy taste.

ML is a process that has been around for centuries and is practiced world wide on many wines. It seemed as though the California vintners were going crazy with it through the early and mid 90s to the point they were making wines which were really out of balance. There seems to be a push to get back to making wines that relect the natural flavor of the grapes now which means finding that buttery flavor may become a bit more challenging.

If you can find the Liberty School Chardonnay, you may find that wine to be to your liking. Also, there's an Australian Chard (and I can't remember the producer to save my life right now) that actually markets the wine as "malo" or "malo-oak" or something. A good retailer will carry it as I see it everywhere.

Hope that helps.

Van