Chardonnay wine is believed to have originated in eastern France in the Burgundy wine region but is now grown wherever wine is produced. Chardonnay is one of the most widely-planted grape varieties, with over 400,000 acres worldwide, second only to Airén among white wine grapes, planted extremely heavily in Spain and in more wine regions than any other grape.
Modern DNA research at University of California, Davis, suggests that Chardonnay is the result of a cross between the Pinot and Gouais Blanc (Heunisch) grape varieties. Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine.
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Oregon is a likely locale for excellent Chardonnay wine.
Dundee Hills started 15-17 million years ago, when lava from Eastern Washington flowed west into the Northern Willamette Valley. Then the Willamette Valley was a large body of water. Earth plate movement caused the land mass to move again, and a land mass rose from above the Willamette Valley floor. The story is not complete until catastrophic Missoula Floods receded, and a small layer of sediment was laid down over the Willamette Valley covering all elevations below 300 feet. The soil above this point remained the now famous red Jory soil. The soil gets its reddish hue from oxidation and high amounts of iron. The depth and quality of the soils lend themselves ideally to the viticulture.
Holloran Vineyard makes small quantities of handcrafted wines in the Willamette Valley.
Located in the Dundee Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) on classic Jory soil, the Holloran Vineyard is over 30 years old. The soils are not overly fertile, but provide excellent drainage for wine grapes and produce consistently excellent wines, and have been farmed organically since 1999.
Since 2005, the Jory soil has been farmed biodynamically, which is organic farming that treats farms and vineyards as unified and individual organisms, emphasizing the balancing of holistic development and interrelationship of the soil and plants as a closed, self-nourishing system. Emphasis is placed on manures and composts with exclusion of artificial chemicals on soil and plants.Chardonnay is planted on south, east, and west-facing slopes on volcanic soils.
The wines made by Jay Christopher (J. Christopher Wines) are some of the most complex in the Willamette Valley. Their beautifully handcrafted Chardonnay wine comes from 25 year old vines. It shows a wonderfully fresh and vibrant style that comes across the palate as being elegant. Medium-bodied and well-balanced, rich and ripe, with a substantial overlay of oak, it has lots of showy vanilla and smoke notes working in concert with juicy fruit, showing crisp green apple, hazelnut and creamy complexity. It is a break from the pineapple tropical fruit style of Chardonnay with more peach and apple, with some acidity, and quite easy to enjoy.
Oregon Chardonnay wines are often lower in alcohol with less overt sweetness than bottlings from California,
Today's Oregon Chardonnay wines are a bit richer, broader in texture, deeper in flavor, and more complex in aroma. Today, working with riper, more flavorful grapes, with less overt sweetness, has the pleasant consequence of a Chardonnay wine that seems more refreshing and versatile with food.
Serve the Chardonnay cool at around 55F. When Chardonnay wine is served too cold, it tends to lose its fruity flavors. Pairing Chardonnay wine with Provolone, Gruyere and mild cheddar cheeses as well as crab cakes, olives, oysters, stuffed clams, low and higher fat fish, and smoked salmon are all complimentary food choices. Chardonnay wine compliments chicken, pork and shrimp with cream sauces
Oregon's Holloran Vineyard Chardonnay has both the weight to stand up to rich dishes and enough acidity to cut through the cream. Lamb and mildly spicy and low sweetness foods will all match well. Avoid tomato based dishes - the sharp acidity of the tomato doesn't go well. Meats like steaks and game will overwhelm the flavor.
The real key to the pleasure of wine and food is simply relaxing and enjoying conviviality with friends. Now that you know the best Chardonnay wine and food pairings, dinner anyone?