| Chardonnay is a thousand year old small | | | | Chardonnay is a vigorous, heavy cropping |
| village in Mâconnais in the southern | | | | variety with medium sized bunches. Bunches |
| portion of France's burgundy region. The | | | | have tightly packed berries forming a single |
| famous wine Chardonnay most likely originated | | | | cluster not like loosely spaced Shiraz |
| here and was then spread throughout France by | | | | bunches. A ripe Chardonnay berry is gold |
| the monks. The earliest recorded reference to | | | | yellow in colour with plenty of juice. |
| Chardonnay occurs in 1330 when Cistercian | | | | Berries are small, fragile, thin-skinned and |
| monks built stonewalls around their 'Clos de | | | | require care during harvest to avoid |
| Vougeot' vineyard exclusively planted to | | | | oxidization. Chardonnay is very sensitive to |
| Chardonnay grapes. There is another | | | | winemaking practices. Cool climate Chardonnay |
| hypothesis that points towards Lebanon when | | | | produces an abundance of fruit flavours. The |
| it comes to the origins of Chardonnay, but | | | | warmer climate Chardonnays may have less of |
| with no written references. Another direction | | | | the fruits but develop wonderful honey, |
| points to an Austrian vine very similar to | | | | butterscotch, buttery and nutty oily flavours |
| Chardonnay, called Morillon. The name | | | | that really fill the mouth. The trend of |
| Morillon has been used during the middle Ages | | | | fermenting Chardonnay in oak barrels and then |
| in the region of Burgundy and was an old name | | | | storing it in new oak can kill the fruit |
| for Chardonnay in the region of Chablis. | | | | characters. You know there's too much oak |
| | | | when all you get is vanilla and cinnamon and |
| Murray Tyrrell from Australia changed the | | | | no fresh fruit. |
| course of history for Chardonnay by bringing | | | | |
| the HVD vineyard in 1982. Chardonnay is the | | | | The new worldwide winemakers have increased |
| most widely planted variety in Australia and | | | | the freshness and acidity by sourcing grapes |
| also in NZ. There is more Chardonnay than | | | | from cooler climates such as Marlborough (New |
| Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. | | | | Zealand), Russian River (California), Yarra |
| | | | Valley and Mornington Peninsula (Australia), |
| Lately Chardonnay has become a common girls | | | | Constantia and Walker Bay (South Africa), |
| name and has had a terrible press starting | | | | Casablanca and Leyda (Chile), and Agrelo and |
| with the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) | | | | the Uco Valley (Argentina). This doesn't mean |
| movement. Critics are making case of | | | | that Burgundy is forgotten. Whites from |
| Riesling and other people are finding | | | | Chablis, the Côte Chalonnaise and the |
| Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc or Viognier | | | | Mâconnais are very good value. |
| worth drinking. But Chardonnay consistently | | | | |
| makes better wines in a wider range of | | | | Chardonnay is back on top and as Tim Atkin, |
| climates than any other white variety. It is | | | | in an Observer's article advises "He had more |
| also responsible for the majority of the | | | | exciting Chardonnays in the past 12 months |
| world's finest whites. | | | | than in the previous 12 years. |
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