Buttery Chardonnays

[Randy Caparoso]

At the risk of sounding geeky, I'll throw in my two cents about "butter" in Chard. As vitis says, it's definitely diacetyl, a natural byproduct of the malo-lactic fermentation process. What's also known is that when ML is induced or allowed to occur naturally without the full benefit of "battonage" -- regular stirring of the "lees" (or spent yeasts) in the barrel, an action that tends to absorb the ML produced diacetyl -- you're likely to end up with excessive amounts of diacetyl. That's why you'll see virtually no true "buttery" California Chards these days (unlike 10-20 years ago) -- Californians have gotten a lot smarter about this (I remember the old Liberty Schools as tasting more like buttered popcorn than Chard!).

What you do find, however, are richly oaked Chards with very round, smooth, viscous, even fleshy textures -- very flattering to the palate. The Fess Parker Chards (both the "regular" and "Reserve") are very much like this, and even better known are those of Edna Valley, Chalone, and Kistler. La Crema Chards typically have very creamy textures (but not quite buttery) punctuated by crisp fruit tones, and are much more moderate in toasty/smoky oak qualities than the Fess Parker, Edna Valley or Kistler.

Some of the toasty "smoke of oak" styles, of course, are a lot better than others. If you can handle the price ranges (generally $18 and up), in my opinion -- and that of the Wine Spectator's, by sheer coincidence -- one of the very best practicioners of this full-on natural yeast/ML/battonage/unfiltered styles of Chardonnay is Chalk Hill. Great, great stuff. Saintsbury has also recently come to excel in this style; so has Swanson and Simi (especially their "Reserve"). Particularly outstanding are the smoky, lusciously textured Chards of wineries for whom Helen Turley has consulted -- the Landmark "Overlook" and J. Fritz "Dutton Ranch" being near-perfect examples. Then in Santa Cruz, Storrs Winery does a wonderfully consistent job of turning out completely natural, handcrafted, sumptuously layered Chards.

One of the most influential winemakers in this style has been David Ramey; formerly of Chalk Hill and Matanzas Creek, but who has recently come out with a stunningly opulent, richly toasted and concentrated Chard under his own label (very rare, and retailing in the stratospheres).

Getting back down to earth, in the $12 and under category, the closest you can probably get to this viscous, round style is the Casa Lapostolle from Chile, Cypress by J. Lohr from Monterey, and the Rosemount "Diamond" -- although the Cypress and Rosemount are actually more honeyed/tropical-fruity in flavor, and "buttery" only in texture. In the medium range, ($14-$16), the Rosemount "Orange Vineyard" and Rosemount "Giant's Creek" are well worth seeking out.

And this should be enough to get any Fabio style Chard lover ("I cawn't believe it's not...") started.