Wente Chardonnay … Resurrecting a Slipping Variety

One wine variety that has taken a terrific beating in the past few years has been the Chardonnay. For centuries, Chardonnay was the darling of the white wines however, in recent years, the variety fell from grace due to the plethora of cheap, undistinguished versions that hit the marketplace. In many instances makers of the better Chardonnays were forced to lower their prices in order to increase sales so as to break even on their investment. The sales of the better Chardonnay wines began to falter in favor of the rapidly rising popularity of the more affordable Pinot Grigio and the formerly faltering Savignon Blanc.

It appears that the loss of popularity of the variety was due to simple arithmetic. The price for higher quality 2014 Chardonnay grapes has been as high as a staggering $2500/ton. With an approximate yield of 756 bottles of wine per ton, that makes the cost of the grapes alone $3.31 per bottle. Next, add the costs of processing, aging barrels (about $600 each), bottling, labeling, and shipping and you realize why some wines are more pricy than others. An unacceptable alternate for better Chardonnay producers would be to employ lesser quality grapes, make a lower quality wine, to sell at a cheaper price.

One producer who would not sacrifice quality by using lesser grapes and produce a wine that was not up to their standards was the century old Wente Vineyards, a winery that is still owned and operated by the founding family. The powers that be at Wente opted for not taking the cheaper way out and would continue to produce the Chardonnay wines that they were famous for.

Wente Morning Fog 2013 Estate Grown Chardonnay ($15). This wine is typical of all of the wines from Wente, luxurious, well made, and elegant. Throughout the entire process of making this wine, extra care is taken from the selection of the grapes to the winemaking procedures. All of this tender loving care resulted in an impeccable wine of great character and distinction. The wine features green apple and tropical fruit in both the aroma and flavor. Coupled with this is a positive oak and vanilla flavor. Unlike many of the lesser Chardonnays, this wine has a long, fruity, and interesting finish. Try this wine with seafood as well as almost any chicken based dishes. This wine can easily elevate the variety to its former lofty position.

Riva Ranch 2013 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay ($22). The once and future “king of the whites” is well represented in this offering. It is a bright and open wine that shows off all of the charms of a Chardonnay to its fullest. This wine is well oaked in both the aroma and flavor, so if you enjoy wines that have a solid oak backbone, this is the one for you. The flavor and aroma encompass the sensations of . vanilla, green apples and pears. This is a wine with a positive and lingering fruity and very creamy finish. With all that has been said and written about Chardonnay wines by a host of wine aficionados, all that we can add is to suggest that you try the Riva Ranch 2013 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay, we are sure that you will not be disappointed.

Wente 2014 Eric’s Small Lot Chardonnay ($25). This Chardonnay has been made without any oak used in the production or aging so the pure flavors and aromas of the grape are unaffected by anything external. After hand picking and sorting the grapes, they were gently crushed, pressed, and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The traditional Chardonnay aromas of pineapple, apple, and citrus carry over to the flavor and merge into a collage of tropical fruits. There is also that elusive creamy mouth feel often found only in the more costly Chardonnays, which expands the seductive nature of the finish. This is a chard not to be missed, even if it is just to try a pure and definitely superior unoaked Chardonnay.