There was a time when Chardonnay challenged Cabernet as the king of grapes.
The grape is named for the commune of Chardonnay situated in the Maconnais region and located in the southwest portion of Burgundy. The grape is a ‘half-breed’ – half Pinot Noir and half Gouais Blanc. It is thought to have originated in Croatia, and as the influence of the Roman Empire spread, so did Chardonnay.
The grape is excellent ‘grower’, and farmers loved it. But it was the Cistercian monks are responsible for the its immense popularity. In the 14th century they blended Chardonnay with its parent Pinot Noir to produce Champagne. Although the initial Champagne was not sparkling the future of the Chardonnay was secure.
Plylloxera nearly eliminated Gouais Blanc, but Chardonnay survived, and through its migration to Australia, The United States and South Africa (amongst many others) grew in popularity. Today it is the fifth most widely planted grape and second white varietal (following the Spanish drought resistant Airén).
By the 1980s Chardonnay had moved to the forefront of the ‘new age of wine’. Multinational wine conglomerates noted the popularity and created wines that appealed to the popularity of sweet drinks and produced heavily oaked and buttery wines with greater residual sugar. The wine was uncomplicated and designed to attract a mass market, it became, as wine writer Jeff Flowers argues, “the wine for people who don’t really like wine”.
However, there was a backlash. The ‘new’ Chardonnay, mass marketed, was associated with the unsophisticated wine drinker and revolted with the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) movement. These ABC drinkers looked for a wine that crisp and fresh. Winemakers, always attuned to market trends, recognized (and were concerned about) the movement to grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc and sought to model the easy growing Chardonnay in a similar manner.
Thus…unoaked Chardonnay.
Sauvignon Blanc is generally fermented in stainless steel tanks. The problem for winemakers was finding a means of balancing the absence of oak and avoiding the risks associated with wines that are weak and boring on the palate. They also discovered (an apparent surprise to some of them) that good wine requires good grapes. They needed to hold their harvest period until the brix (sugar level) was nearly 24. And, they needed to achieve an ABV above 13.5%. – a wine with ‘guts’.
The ‘new’ Chardonnay was born. Leaner and fruit driven, with little or oak…wines that challenged Sauvignon Blanc.
Neyers 304 Chardonnay is leading the way of these ‘new’ Chards, with a value priced (around $20) classic wine. The winemaker refers to it as “fresh, crisp, and delicately flavored. There is a mineral component and excellent acidity that originates from the fruit. It is a wine that is easy to drink, loaded with character, and enormously satisfying.” Fermented largely in stainless steel (15% in concrete), the winemaker relies only on the yeast that occurs naturally on the skin of the grape. All good decisions…
Neyers Vineyards was formed in 1992 by Bruce and Barbara Neyers with a focus on “small-production wines from top appellations throughout Northern California”. In 2017 the Neyers formed a partnership with Trinchero Estates. Trinchero Estates, developed by brothers Bob and Roger Trinchero made their fame through Sutter Home and the creation of White Zinfandel in 1972. Today, the company’s portfolio includes more than 40 brands (Seaglass, Menage a Trois and the ‘number one alcohol-removed wine, Fre). Trinchero also markets Joel Gott and Charles and Charles wines. The Trinchero family knows how to make, and more importantly, how to market wine.
I had the opportunity to taste the Neyers 304 Chardonnay while at the Fort Walton Beaches Food and Wine Festival. We tasted the 2018 version, that Barbara Neyers calls a “night at the opera”. It is an ideal description…complexity surrounding a simple story. Making a wine without oak interesting to the buying public is an enormous challenge. The Neyers people have figured out how to let the Chardonnay speak with as little manipulation as possible.
You can find it at Chan’s Wine World in the Panhandle region of Florida. A simple internet search suggests that you should be able to acquire this fruit driven wine in virtually every market.