In a previous issue we dealt with “A Glass of Chardonnay, Please” which is of value to the casual wine drinker. But what about the person that wants to get more serious about that white wine which is currently selling at a rate of 4 to 1 over any other California varietal?

How about those that would like to perform the ritual of swirling the glass a bit like our friend at the upper right. He is checking to see if his Chardonnay has “legs”.  After checking for aroma and color, legs are next on the list. As you swirl your Chardonnay near the top of the glass, you look for it to come down the sides in strips or legs. This indicates that the wine is full-bodied or mouth-filling, which is a desirable and expected trait for good Chardonnay. Swirling in a restaurant and checking the legs also commands instantaneous respect from the waiter.  

California Chardonnay’s heritage is from the great white Burgundies of France especially if any part of the name says Montrachet. A great Montrachet of even recent vintage sells for many hundreds of dollars so the chances are that you may never taste one or even see one on the shelf of any wine retailer. While no California Chardonnay approaches great Montrachet, the premium category certainly measures up to many of the secondary Montrachet growths that the French overprice and ship to the naïve American wine drinker.

Most of us don’t pay a lot of attention to vintage in California wines where the weather is not as inconsistent as it is in Europe. We pay more attention with justification to the name on the label and the area from which the grapes were grown. However, if you have a choice, the 1998 vintage of California Chardonnay is a year ( with a few exceptions) from which to stay away. Once that is done, it is worth some time to look at the map of Chardonnay growths on the right.

Contrary to general beliefs, Napa is not a strong white wine area, concentrating it strengths on reds. The premium white wines now seem to come from the Russian River and the principal vintner there is Rochioli Brothers in Healdsburg. It is not easy to find in stores and generally sells most of its production to restaurants and at the winery because it is fairly priced for the quality.  If you can find it, the ‘97 South River Vinyard vintage is rated 92 in the Wine Spectator at about $45.

If you are tired of giving Opus or Dom to that wine connoisseur acquaintance but you want to spend at least $70, find out if Chardonnay is their passion. Then look for Marcassin, consistently tops in California at a rating of 97 for most recent years. It is from the Sonoma area, which is just behind the Russian River for fine Chardonnay. However Sonoma may be more important because of much greater production.

The top overall Chardonnay producer in the premium category with a wide range of wines from the Sonoma district is Kistler. They offer wines from a variety of Sonoma vinyards and all of them are very highly rated. The one Napa Chardonnay that stands out is Beringer’s Sbraggia Limited Release.   They are all 1997 wines and can be ordered from your neighborhood wine dealer and are in the $50 price range.  

The big names that dominated California’s $25- $40 category such as Grgich Hills, Far Niente and Chateau Montelena seem to be riding on their names recently. If you are willing to spend $30-35 for one of them you might consider spending an extra $5-10 and trading up to Kistler, Beringer or Rochioli if you can find it. .  

But California’s real strength today is in the $25 and much less range.  You can get some amazing value in this category. Most of these wines come from the Central Coast and Santa Barbara areas which have a climate that is conducive to fine Chardonnay grapes.

All of the wines mentioned below are at least equal to those we mentioned in the $25-40 category  The standout value is Landmark, a blend of grapes from Sonoma, Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties. It is one of the better 1998s and can be found for around $22. The 1998 Chapellet from Napa is almost as good a value at $20.  Belvedere offers an attractive Russian River style 1997 Chardonnay for only $17 while Beringer weighs in with a lower priced 1998 Napa for $16.

But perhaps the truly remarkable values for most of us right now are available from Meridian Edna Valley Coastal Reserve and Farallon Central Coast.  They are in the $10 -$13 range when promoted.

The above gives you a wide choice of California Chardonnay. The upper end will rarely be available at mass merchants, so you have to go to wine specialists like Conejo Wine on T.O. Blvd near Roxy’s. If they don’t have it they can special order it.  If shopping at supermarkets like Von’s or Pavilion’s, wait for a promotion, then buy 6 bottles and get an additional 10%

Finally, again don’t forget that this is a global economy and wine values are all over the world. If you have a Chardonnay habit that requires a constant fix, don’t forget the great under $10 values from Australia such as Rosemount, Lindeman, Wolf Blass and Penfolds.  

If you feel patriotic and want to support the US. economy, absolutely consider all the wines and especially the whites from Columbia Crest in the state of Washington.  They may be the best producers of wine values, both red and white in the entire world. While not a pure Chardonnay, their Semillion- Chardonnay blend is a great summer sipper and can be found under $8.