Are We Wrong About Oaky Chardonnay?

The Wine Pair Podcast

We can admit when we are wrong, and we have to say that although we are not the biggest fans of oaky Chardonnay, we think we found some wines that even an ABC person (that is Anything But Chardonnay) can enjoy. Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in the world, but it is also a very polarizing wine - some people love it and will drink nothing else, and others won’t even touch it. We are more on the “it depends” end of things - we love unoaked Chardonnay, and are finding that Chardonnays that are well balanced are very pleasant and drinkable. So what makes a balanced Chardonnay? It has to do with the type of oak used - including where it is from and how old it is - which seems obvious, but really makes a difference. We’ll tell you how to find Chardonnays that have just the right oak profile for you. And we have some fun learning more about a wine we would normally never consider. As a bonus, we also talk about why oaky and buttery, two very common descriptors for Chardonnay, are different and come from different parts of the winemaking process. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Vineyard Chardonnay, 2021 Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, 2022 Bogle Family Vineyards California Chardonnay.

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1. Introduction, and why Chardonnay is polarizing (00:00:00)

2. What Makes Oaky Chardonnay Oaky? (00:09:11)

3. Oaky Chardonnays We Chose For This Episode (00:16:45)

4. 2022 Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Vineyard Chardonnay Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review (00:26:29)

5. 2021 Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review (00:32:00)

6. 2022 Bogle Family Vineyards California Chardonnay Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review (00:39:29)

7. Taste profiles expected from Oaky Chardonnay (00:46:27)

8. Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast (00:50:30)