This is a collab post: Burgundy is the home of Old World Chardonnay. The very name originates from the small town in the Maconnais area of Southern Burgundy. Chardonnays from this region follow traditions that are centuries old. Regulations ensure that the wines comply with expectations of minerality and lower alcohol levels.
New World Wines are free of the burden of complying with these historic restrictions and allow the winemaker to experiment with new and exciting methods. As a result, chardonnays from the New World can be innovative and exciting, allowing the winemaker the opportunity to build upon the terroir.
Chardonnay is such a versatile grape that can establish itself in a wide range of climates and soils, making it the ideal variety for New World areas.
It grows easily and produces a substantial crop compared to other wine varieties. It is also the most complex of White wines, creating a fertile field for the winemaker to create a unique blend of Chardonnay.
So how do New World Chardonnays differ from their historical ancestry?
Old World Chardonnays tend to have a lighter and leaner feel with notes of citrus and herb, while New World varieties tend to have a higher alcohol content, with riper fruit and a more rounded mouthfeel.
Those are broad generalizations about the differences but let’s look at a couple of New World Chardonnays that represent the great strides the New World Winemakers have made.
Chardonnay from California
New World Wines refer more to Areas rather than time periods.
After all, the best wine in the World almost fifty years ago was a Chardonnay from the Napa Valley, which won the award in 1976 at the Judgement of Paris blind tasting competition.
Today you can savor the taste from the same award-winning vineyard, Chateau Montelena, with their 2018 Chardonnay.
The Chateau Montelena philosophy has always been to allow the terroir to emphasize the uniqueness of the wine. The 2018 vintage took advantage of a slow harvesting time of a month to produce the most delicate balance between summer stone fruit and austere acid content.
The wine is the color of summer straw with nuances of cinnamon and ripe fruit on the nose. The taste is built on a subtle structure of baked bread from the ageing in oak for ten months and mingles effortlessly with the citrus and stone fruit flavors.
The finish is a combination of sweet marmalade, and ripe apricot gently embraced with a combination of cloves and toasted almonds.
Another offering from California is from the Rombauer Vineyard.
Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay 2021
For over forty years, the Rombauer Vineyards have produced a Chardonnay that boasted the wonderful combination of a cool climate and the clay-based soils of the Carneros region of California.
This Chardonnay is a classic example of the rich, buttery flavors produced in California. Supported by the lees being stirred every fortnight during maturation, the wine has a wonderfully complex creamy texture which is perfectly balanced by the refreshing acidity.
On the nose, the rich baked apple and pear aromas are a wonderful introduction to the golden hue of this wine.
The rich buttery overtones make for a tasteful blending with creamy dishes of chicken or pan-fried scallops.
Now it’s time to travel south to the foothills of the Andes.
El Enemigo Chardonnay 2020
This Argentinean Chardonnay has achieved superb reviews for its combination of tropical fruits and almond flavors. The rather unusual process of allowing a ‘flor’ to develop on the wine produces a greater level of complexity.
The vines are grown almost fifteen hundred meters above sea level, which heralds cool nights even during the long summer days.
The beautiful straw color of the wine introduces the aromas of almonds coupled with tropical fruits. The palate is generously provided with a lingering taste of apricots and peaches seamlessly blending with a rich, creamy toasted nut balance.
This is a wine to enjoy with chicken served together with a rich, creamy herb sauce or a stunningly simple pan-fried salmon.
Israel can hardly be referred to as New World but remember the term has more to do with traditional techniques of Winemaking rather than age.
Domaine du Castel C Blanc du Castel 2020
This is a New World Wine made in the traditional Old Wine methods of Burgundy. Eli Ben Zaken planted the first vines in the Judean Hills almost fifty years ago.
The method of fermenting the must in oak barrels for a year results in a wine that has a creamy smooth texture with complementary tastes of tropical fruits like mango and stone fruits.
The structure is firm, and the flavor profile is intense, suggesting that the wine would be suitable for aging for a couple of years if you are strong enough to resist opening the bottle straight away.
The notes of roasted almonds, vanilla, and tropical fruit are perfect companions to dishes of creamy risotto or roasted chicken.
Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2021
No list of New World Chardonnays would be complete without a contribution from New Zealand, and Hunting Hill Chardonnay is a prime example of the exceptional wines emanating from New Zealand.
The vineyard was replanted just over twenty years ago and had gained the reputation of producing Chardonnays with rich and ripe flavors coupled with a well-balanced minerality.
The proximity of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean to the vineyard ensures that the temperature remains cool enough to ensure a wine of elegant freshness. The hand-harvested grapes spend eleven months in oak barrels which serves to create a rich smoothness to balance the fresh and intense fruit flavors.
Strong cheeses and fresh lobster would make ideal partners for this elegant wine.
Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2020.
Not to be outdone by its southern neighbor, the Vasse Felix winery on the Margeret River is a wonderful example of the great quality of Australian New World Wines.
The vines are almost sixty years old, and the ocean influence results in an elegant and refined Chardonnay.
Profiting from hand harvesting and whole bunch pressing, this rich Chardonnay is left to mature on the lees for nine months before being bottled.
Irresistible citrus, peach, and apple aromas invite a mouth-filling fruit-flavored lingering taste.
An ideal partner for creamy cheeses or rich creamed chicken dishes.