[wine] Un-Oaked Chard SFGC

Unoaked Chardonnay Lynne Char Bennett Sunday, August 16, 2009 2007 Chehalem Inox Willamette Valley Chardonnay in San Fr... 2007 Iron Horse Vineyards Green Valley of Russian River V... 2008 Kim Crawford New Zealand Unoaked Chardonnay in San F... More... Chardonnay is vinified many ways, including without oak, which seems to be a growing trend. Without the influence of new oak, the fruit takes center stage. A good unoaked Chardonnay has expressive fruit and zippy acidity - traits of a good food wine. The most classic example is Chardonnay from Chablis in northern Burgundy in France, which is traditionally fermented in all stainless steel or in combination with used or neutral oak. Not fermenting or aging in oak means none of the butter, vanilla and toast character that many people associate with California Chardonnay. Even so, winemakers still use other techniques such as time on the lees, which adds a creamy texture, and malolactic fermentation, which softens the wine's acidity. Judicious use of oak can add much to a wine, but if you want one without, look for terms on the label like "unwooded," "inox" or "acero," which is Spanish for steel. 2007 Chehalem Inox Willamette Valley Chardonnay ($19) Chehalem's trademarked word Inox comes from the French word for stainless steel. A melange of fruit on the nose: green apple, kiwi, honeydew melon and almost a floral note. Clean, crisp palate with almost racy acidity. 2008 Four Vines Naked Santa Barbara County Chardonnay ($14) Founder and winemaker Christian Tietje's original Zinfandel-focused vision continues, but he has since added other varietals. Attractive fruit on nose and palate. Citrus, stone fruit and slight tropical aromas; hint of chalky mineral, balanced with Meyer lemon notes on the finish. 2007 Iron Horse Vineyards Green Valley of Russian River Valley Unoaked Chardonnay ($26) This third vintage of unoaked Chardonnay had one hour of skin contact and no malolactic fermentation. Citrusy, tangerine aromas and flavors plus hint of mineral; sharp acidity with lime zest on the finish. 2008 Kim Crawford New Zealand Unoaked Chardonnay ($17) Winemaker Matt Large chose to put this wine through partial malolactic fermentation. It is more full-bodied, with perfumed citrus blossom, golden pear and apple-like fruit aromas and flavors; still nicely tart but with a softer, rounder mouthfeel. (Importer: Constellation Wines U.S.) 2007 Mer Soleil Silver Soleil Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Unoaked Chardonnay ($30) Winemaker and vintner Charlie Wagner II, whose father owns Napa Valley's Caymus Vineyards, has made the third vintage of Silver, sourced from the cool, dry lower slope of the Sierra de Salinas Range. A more tropical nose with pear, pineapple and citrus aromas. 2008 Passaggio Wines New Generation California Unoaked Chardonnay ($13) Cindy Cosco is one of about 5,000 customers producing wine at San Francisco's Crushpad. Her second vintage is bottled with a Zork closure, an alternative to cork. Clean and crisp with apple, green pear and hint of melon in the nose and palate. Fuller-bodied style. Lynne Char Bennett is a Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at lbennett(a)sfchronicle.com. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/16/FDAU196P49.DTL This article appeared on page K - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle © 2009 Hearst Communications Inc. | Privacy Policy | Feedback | RSS Feeds | FAQ | Site Index | Contact -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *