Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/534849
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J u l y - A u g 2 015 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 3 5 + The Chardonnay grape is known for its versatility, capable of producing a wide range of wine styles. + Winemaking decisions significantly influence the aroma, flavor and body of Chardonnay. + The characteristics of a given Chardonnay wine are derived predominately from the vineyard site; each wine- maker uses different tech- niques to creatively express the vineyard's attributes. + Chardonnay producers make many decisions that impact wine style: harvest maturity, juice extraction, fermenta- tion vessel, fermentation temperature, and more. AT A GLANCE hardonnay is known for its capabil- ity to produce a wide range of wine styles, which are largely determined by the winemaker. What follows is an exploration of three California Chardonnays, each rep- resenting a distinctive style. The Hudson Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay, made by Christopher Van- dendriessche, has lengthy oak aging in mostly new barrels and with full malolac- tic fermentation. The FEL Anderson Valley Chardonnay, from Ryan Hodgins, is barrel- fermented in all or mostly neutral oak and with no or minimal malolactic fermenta- tion. The Three Sticks Origin Chardonnay, made by Don Van Staaveren, has no barrel fermentation nor malolactic fermentation. Each of the wines has admirable qualities for its style. UNOAKED YET LUSH "The fruit for our Origin Chardonnay comes from two small blocks at our estate, Durell Vineyard," Van Staaveren said. "This wine is made from Wente selection Char- donnay. These two vineyard blocks have well-drained, rocky soil that produces con- centrated fruit with bright acidity." After being harvesting at night into small bins, the grapes undergo a variety of treat- ments, depending on the lot: whole-cluster- pressed, destemmed and then pressed, and some destemmed plus a period of skin contact, before pressing to a stainless steel tank with a 40 ppm sulfur dioxide addi- tion. The unsettled juice is inoculated the next day. "After approximately 24 hours, or when fermenta- tion activity is seen, the tank is cooled down to 45°F to 50°F," Van Staaveren s a i d . " O n c e i t r e a c h e s these low temperatures, the tank is mixed and the juice is transferred to con- crete eggs of either 476 gal- lons or 148 gallons. Once the eggs are filled, the bal- ance of juice will be put into jacketed 75-gallon Mueller stainless steel barrels for fermentation. There is no oak used at all." Post-fermentation, the Chardonnay in the eggs is mixed to incorporate the lees and put into stainless steel barrels for aging. All stainless barrels are stirred frequently for the first sev- eral months of aging, taper- ing off gradually until stirring Winemaking decisions dictate the style of wine in the bottle A Tale of Three Chardonnays Don Van Staaveren of Three Sticks winery proves that neither oak nor malolactic fermentation is necessary to make a rich-tasting Chardonnay. SOIL & CELLAR REMI COHEN