CHARDONNAY SHOWDOWN
La Boutanche
the place
Beaujolais
the grapes
Chardonnay
the process
Winemaker Olivier Minot for La Boutanche. Native yeast fermentation. Minimal intervention. Low to no SO2.
the price
$15
Domaine Moureau-Naudet Petit Chablis
the place
Petit Chablis
the grapes
Chardonnay
the process
Fermentation is with indigenous yeast, and it is harvested by hand. The wine is aged for nine months in stainless steel before bottling.
the price
$33
Marcel Couturier Mâcon-Loché Les Longues Terres
the place
Burgundy
the grapes
Chardonnay
the process
After a manual harvest, whole bunches of grapes are crushed in pneumatic presses. Two presses are used simultaneously to avoid any oxidation or loss of aromatics. The must is then naturally decanted and racked off its gross lees before going into four and five-year-old barrels for fermentation with indigenous yeasts. As the cellar is kept cold, fermentation is very slow and goes on into the following spring. Malolactic fermentation goes until the following summer. The wines ferment and age in the same barrels until the following August without racking and bâtonnage, as Marcel is wary of making the wines too fat and leesy.
the price
$33
Miner
the place
Napa Valley
the grapes
Chardonnay
the process
Grapes are pulled from Genny’s, Hyde, Lone Oak, Antinori, Holman, Stagecoach & Sisters Vineyards. Aged 10 Months in 30% New French Oak and 40% Stainless Steel. Undergoes 50% Malolactic Fermentation.
the price
$37