Let’s Get Naked Chardonnay!

Today marks Wine Blogging Wednesday #36, and the theme is Naked Chardonnay.  That’s defined as any chardonnay that has never touched oak.  These are also typically chardonnays that haven’t gone through malolactic fermentation.  Malolactic fermentation is a process that converts malic acid to lactic acid which will reduce the overall acidity and gives typical chardonnays their buttery characteristic.

Naked Chardonnays are more fruity and acidic than their oaked counterparts.  The ones I tried all presented a variety of fruit and crisp acidity.  I did keep all of my clothes on throughout tasting these, although I was tempted to strip — particularly after I’d had a few.

For my contribution, I tasted five different unoaked chardonnays from around the globe.  I had a difficult time finding unoaked chardonnay for under $10, but I was able to find three at $9.99 and bought two more at $11.99 & $12.99 for comparison.  And to make it even more interesting, the five I tasted are from around the globe.

Here are my selections:

The good news is that there were no total duds.  They were all enjoyable to some extent, but some were better than others.

For something new this month, I took all the bottles outside for a photo-shoot amongst my Chardonnel grape vines.  If you haven’t heard of Chardonnel, it’s a grape variety that was created by Michigan State University, Cornell University and Tabor Hill Winery in Buchanan, Michigan.  It is a hybrid between Chardonnay and Ceval Blanc.  I have some vines growning in my backyard but have yet to produce enough to make any wine… but I am feeding the birds with them. 

Now, let’s get on to the results!

Top Choice

This is actually a tough call with the numbers coming in so close.  I actually ended up with an 86, 87, 88 and an 89 and I wasn’t even comparing the numbers to rank them, it just came out that way.  There are some characteristics I like about a couple of these despite not getting the top numbers.  However, by the numbers the 2005 Monjardin “El Cerezo” from the Navarra region of Spain gets top honors with 89 points.

The Monjardin has a nice crisp acidity, but is still well balanced. The dominant flavors are pear, mineral and lime.  It has a medium long finish.  This is a very enjoyable chardonnay for $11.99.

Best Value Picks

I’m calling a tie on the best value pick.  Brampton from South Africa and Gisborne from New Zealand are both excellent choices and are both priced at $9.99.

Brampton Unoaked Chardonnay 2006 is produced by Rustenberg Wines in coastal South Africa.  It is nice and light with apple, peach, pear and mineral flavors – subtle, but a good bit of complexity.  I was particularly surprised by its exceptionally long finish.  This is a nice unoaked chardonnay, although it’s not terribly exciting.  It’s very refreshing and simple.  I gave it 88 points.

Brancott Gisborne Unoaked Chardonnay 2005 comes from Brancott Vineyards in New Zealand.  A tropical twist is what I really enjoyed about this wine.  It has a unique pineapple flavor, complimented by a touch of pear.  The acidity is crisp and it has a relatively long finish.  There is a slight bitterness to the finish, but it’s not bad.  I did a write up on this wine last week that included recipes from the awesome dinner I enjoyed with this wine:  Citrus Marinated Tilapia and Cauliflower Asparagus Salad. 

The numbers on the Gisborne added up to a rating of 87 points, but I still call it a tie with the Brampton because I enjoyed the pineapple characteristics so much.

Worth Mentioning

Razor’s Edge Unwooded Chardonnay 2006 is definitely a good chardonnay.  At $12.99 it was the most expensive one I purchased but it wasn’t my favorite.  It comes from South Australia via Joshua Tree Imports.  It has citrus, mineral and green apple flavors up front.  One thing I find really interesting in this chardonnay is that it has a touch of Golden Delicious apple that sneaks up on you late in the finish.  Just when you think it done, BAM! there’s a little Golden Delicious for you.  Other than that, it was a fairly simple chardonnay and not worth the extra couple dollars compared to the other options.  I gave it 87 points.

Three Thieves Unoaked Chardonnay 2005 is the only California chardonnay I tried for this event.  It was also the least expensive at $9.99 for a full liter.  Although it was the least expensive, I didn’t pick it as a best value because I felt the two I did pick were that much better. 

Three Thieves wines come in a fun little jug.  It looks similar to the jugs you might buy really cheap wine in, but smaller.  They’ve gotten some decent reviews on their other wines, but I haven’t seen any reviews of the chardonnay (until now).  I honestly didn’t expect much from this one but it was better than I expected.  The nose is not far from what you would expect in a chardonnay, but it is a little tart – as is the palate.  The only real dissernable fruit is apples, but they are green apples… a little too green.  Three thieves chardonnay is drinkable, but it will make you pucker.  84 points.