The Best Boxed Wine For Your Money
Eight adventurous TPH staffers and I tasted seven boxed wines, ranging from $11.46 to $21.99, to figure out which wine we wouldnt be embarrassed to serve at a party after sneaking it into a fancy decanter, of course.
To control the experiment , we kept our tasting to a single varietal, or type of grape: cabernet sauvignon.
We cant say for certain that our findings will hold across varietals. Maybe our least favorite brand just happens to flub its cab, but does a bang-up job on pinot noir or sauvignon blanc.
But even so, some of our results were pretty surprising and they might just help you nail down those holiday dinner plans. Heres what we tasted, started with the cheapest option:
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What Foods Pair Best With Chardonnay
One reason that people love Chardonnay is its versatility, thanks to the range of styles on the market. Crisp, pure, unoaked Chardonnay like many Chablis goes great as an apéritif with fresh cheeses like goat cheese, as well as oysters, shellfish or delicate fish. Medium-bodied expressions pair well with firmer fish like swordfish, white meats like chicken and pork tenderloin, and aged cheeses like gruyere and gouda. Fat, rich, oaky styles with higher alcohol can handle heavier cream sauces, grilled meats with higher fat content, and even game birds. The key is to match the wines weight with the weight of the food.
Maggy Hawk Skycrest Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
From Anderson Valley in Mendocino County, this small-production wine serves a high-definition expression of Chardonnay. A creamy nose suggests it went through full or partial malolactic fermentation, and the sweet scent marries nicely with stone fruit scents and a hint of white pepper. Acidity, alcohol, and fruit character land in equal proportions on the palate. Average price: $60. Rating: 90.
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Oaked And Unoaked Chardonnay
Chardonnay is generally a dry wine. For a rich and sweeter version you need an oaked Chardonnay.
How the wine is aged has a big impact on the flavor.
Ageing a wine-in this case Chardonnay- in oak barrels will take on different notes such as vanilla, and sometimes a more earthy tone.
They will also have more tannins, which are released from natural materials like plants, leaves and wood. The tannins give the wine a more bitter taste.
Generally, oak aged Chardonnay will be richer, full bodied and may have a spicy element to it. You may hear oaked Chardonnay being described as creamy, buttery, and fruity .
Whilst Chardonnay tends to be dry, the oak ageing process can cause the buttery, fruity flavors to come off sweeter on the palate.
The richer, oaked Chardonnays can handle being served alongside heavy, cream based sauces and even grilled meats, fatty meats and game birds.
Unoaked Chardonnay that has been fermented or aged in stainless steel tanks will retain a drier, crisper and brighter flavor.
It will be more zingy, and you will be able to pick up the tartness of the pineapple and lemon fruity notes of the wine.
Unoaked Chardonnay is generally cheaper to make, and has that distinctive dry taste that Chardonnay is generally known for.
The crispness of unoaked Chardonnay pairs very well with delicate fish, shellfish, and goats cheese salads.
La Vieille Ferme White Wine France 3l
My favorite of the three La Vieille Ferme box wines I sampled, the white wine has a pale gold color, a tropical fruit nose, notes of underripe banana and hints of pineapple, and a chalky kind of mineral character, with good acid on a mouth-coating finish. Also look out for the boxed rosé, which has a pale salmon pink color, and is quite simple and clean with strawberry, white peach, and prickly pear notes, and subtle Mediterranean herb notes. And the red boxed wine is worth trying, too. Deep ruby-purple color, this wine is quite soft, with mouth-coating tannins, subtle red berry and earthy aromas, and a spicy finish.
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Clones Crossing And Mutations
As of 2006, 34 clonal varieties of Chardonnay could be found in vineyards throughout France most of these were developed at the University of Burgundy in Dijon. The so-called “Dijon clones” are bred for their adaptive attributes, with vineyard owners planting the clonal variety best suited to their terroir and which will produce the characteristics that they are seeking in the wine. Examples include the lower-yielding clones ‘Dijon-76′, ’95’ and ’96’ that produce more flavor-concentrated clusters. ‘Dijon-77’ and ‘809’ produce more aromatic wines with a “grapey” perfume, while ‘Dijon-75′, ’78’, ‘121’, ‘124’, ‘125’ and ‘277’ are more vigorous and higher-yielding clones. New World varieties include the ‘Mendoza‘ clone, which produced some of the early California Chardonnays. The ‘Mendoza’ clone is prone to develop millerandage, also known as “hens and chicks”, where the berries develop unevenly. In places such as Oregon, the use of newer Dijon clones has had some success in those regions of the Willamette Valley with climates similar to that of Burgundy.
In the 1930s, Chardonnay was crossed with a Seibel grape to create the hybrid grape Ravat blanc.
How Long Should Chardonnay Breathe
Due to its full-bodied texture and deep layers of flavor, Chardonnay is a white wine that will benefit from aeration before drinking. It is advisable to let this wine breathe for at least thirty minutes before drinking. Simply transferring the wine into a carafe should be enough to enhance the flavors. By pouring the Chardonnay slowly into a wide-brimmed carafe, but dont forget to place the carafe in the fridge to aerate because your efforts to enhance the drinking experience will be negated if the Chardonnay becomes warm.
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Evening Lands Seven Springs Chardonnay 2019
From Oregons Eola-Amity Hills AVA, tropical fruit and banana runt aromas spring from this Chardonnay with lovely elegance. Generous acidity on the palate makes the wine extremely refreshing and complements its broad texture. On the finish, expect notes of sherry and yeasty brioche. Average price: $35. Rating: 90.
First Up Is Chardonnay Wine Sometimes Referred To As A Cheeky Lil Chardy
Its pronounced shar-do-nay with the name stemming from the Chardonnay wine grapes used to make the wine. As the most widely planted wine grapes in the world, its little wonder the wine is so common.
Chardonnay is referred to as a dry white wine, meaning it lacks the residual sugar present in sweeter white wines. Chardonnay usually shows fruity flavours of citrus, pear and apple, however, the taste will vary slightly according to climate and where the grape itself was grown.
Chardonnay is a versatile wine that lends itself to warmer weather and is often paired with light delicate food like grilled fish and shellfish, but it also works well with mild, buttery and creamy dishes.
Its best to avoid pairing a chardy with acidic foods like raw tomato, olives and bitter vegetables as it can potentially destroy the taste of the wine. Chardonnay has such a subtle nature, it can easily be overwhelmed by pungent foods dont say we didnt give you a heads up.
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What Are The Characteristics Of Chardonnay
As already mentioned, Chardonnay can be made in a huge range of ways that really impacts how the end product will turn out.
The three most common styles youll find at your local bottle shop are:
In terms of flavours you can find anything from orchard/tree fruit to tropical fruits to chalk/gravel, butter/toast and then theres vanilla, baking spice, caramel and more!
For cool climate Chardonnays youll find the acidity higher and you will be more likely to find flavours of citrus and orchard fruits while warmer regions will have more tropical fruit flavours. This is just a generalisation as obviously with different winemaking techniques a wine can be crafted into something quite different.
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Hartford Court Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2020
Sonomas Russian River Valley has proven caliber on the high-quality Chardonnay front, and this expression is a fine example. Ripe and baked stone fruits arrive in luxurious harmony along with the influence of 9 ½ months of French oak aging. Subtle mineral texture on the palate provides the icing on the cake for this classic California Chardonnay. Average price: $35. Rating: 89.
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Balletto Vineyards Twin Ridges Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
A shining example of responsible oak use, this Chardonnay treads a delicate path between bright fruit notes and subtle richness. White flowers combine with a sprinkling of vanilla on the nose, while the palate serves racy acidity and well rounded texture around a stone fruit core. This release is a wine club exclusive, but Balletto consistently produces excellent wines, so signing up might not be such a bad idea. Average price: $39. Rating: 92.
Difference Between Sweet Wines And Fruity Wines
This is where it starts to feel like our mouths and noses are playing tricks on us. Determining a white wines dryness can be a bit challenging if the wine is fruity. A huge percentage of the descriptions about white wines are fruits, sweet fruits at that. We describe white wine like smelling and tasting like apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, and plenty of other sweet things YET we determine that the wine is dry. Distinguishing between fruitiness is sweetness is quite difficult but you must remember that sweetness is residual sugar and not fruitiness or juiciness.
I run a wine tour company and I teach people how to properly taste wine. This is by far the hardest thing to convince our brains that what were tasting is dry even though it reminds us of a lot of things that are sweet. The sugar in the grapes has been converted to alcohol but the flavor of those sweet things remains.
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Early Mountain Quaker Run Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
The Quaker Run Vineyard is a relatively new site for Early Mountain, a Virginia winery that offers a bounty of high quality varietal wines. Aged for one year on lees in European oak casks, the wine then spends an additional 5 months on lees in stainless steel. Its profile is rich as expected from the style of winemaking but concentrated orchard fruit notes shine bright throughout. Average price: $42. Rating: 94.
Where Is The Best Chardonnay Produced
Theres no such thing as the best Chardonnay. A better question is: what style of Chardonnay do you like to drink? The differences between wines of different regions are largely due to climate and winemaking traditions. Thus, we can break down Chardonnay between cool versus warm regions and old world versus new world, within that context.
Cool Climate Chardonnay: Cooler regions can be found in both the old and new world. Cooler climate Chardonnay typically has more acidity, citrus flavors and mineral character, and is lighter-bodied, lighter in alcohol and elegant.
- Old World: Burgundy , Champagne , Germany, Austria, Northern Italy.
- New World: Ontario , Sonoma Coast , Anderson Valley , Willamette Valley , Tasmania , Mornington Peninsula , New Zealand, Casablanca and Leyda Valley .
Warm Climate Chardonnay: Most warm climate Chardonnay regions fall within the new world. Warm-climate Chardonnay typically has less acidity, with opulent, ripe fruit flavors from yellow peach to papaya and pineapple. Wines are usually fuller-bodied with higher alcohol.
- Old World: Much of Spain, Southern Italy.
- New World: Most of California, South Australia, much of South Africa.
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How Do You Find The Best Chardonnay
Jump a few paragraphs back and thats exactly how you find the best Chardonnay for you. Dont shy away from trying new wines, give everything a go once. The more you try, the more youll understand the style and flavours you enjoy in your Chardonnays. I like to use wine apps like Vivino to track what I drink the cool thing about Vivino is it tells you what styles and grape varieties you drink the most of. Its no surprise the amount of Chardonnays I have listed on my profile!
Known Regions For Chardonnay
As previously mentioned, Chardonnay varietal can be grown in any region and weather. The grapes from the colder regions will produce dry wine with citrus, green fruit, and vegetal notes. The one from the warmer region will have tastes ranging from white peach and melon to tropical fruits and figs. Some of the famous regions for producing Chardonnay ingredients are:
Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand are some other countries that are famous for producing some excellent Chardonnay red wines.
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What Chardonnay Tastes Like From Different Climates
Climate can have a massive impact on Chardonnays final profile. Chardonnay from cooler regions such as Burgundy, Coastal Chile, New Zealand, and Oregon exude lighter notes of quince, lemon and yellow apple. Warmer climates like California, South Africa, and South Australia produce Chardonnay that expresses ripe, tropical flavors of pineapple, apricot, and star fruit.
Types Of Dry White Wine
Wines made from these common white wine grape varieties are generally dry. Though, again, certain producers versions may be a little sweet to satisfy their particular customers.
Albariño This Spanish variety, most famously from the Rias Baixas region is typically bone dry. But ripe versions may taste vividly of stone fruits and seem a little sweet, even though they are not.
Chardonnay Chardonnay may be the worlds most widely grown white variety. In most regions, the wines have notable acidity and are bone dry. But some, from warmer regions such as California, can be off-dry. This is most common in wines selling for less than $20.
Grenache Blanc This Spanish grape more commonly associated with southern France has moderate acidity and almost always bone dry.
Grüner Veltliner Austrias signature white grape is practically always bone dry. However, some versions from California have rich stone fruit flavors and may seem a little sweet, even though they are not.
Pinot Blanc This somewhat neutral, Alsace variety has moderate acidity and is usually dry. But some blends that include Pinot Blanc may have palate-pleasing sweetness. And Pinot Blanc may also be made into late harvest dessert wines.
Torrontes Torrontes is the primary white wine grape of Argentina. Its an aromatic variety, similar to Muscat or Gewürtztraminer, but less intense.
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Smoky Rose Cellars Stainless Steel Chardonnay 2020
A mildly oxidative note brings a sherry-like whiff to the nose of this 100 percent stainless steel Chardonnay, but equally present are lean and crisp orchard fruit aromas. The palate provides a captivating exploration of minerality and texture. Enjoy this with a creamy goat cheese. Average price: $35. Rating: 88.
Is Chardonnay A Dry White Wine
The short answer is, yes Chardonnay is typically a dry wine. Typically, Chardonnay is a dry to medium-full-bodied white wine with moderate acidity and alcohol. Chardonnay wine can be oaked or unoaked and flavours will range from apple and lemon to tropical fruit such as mango and pineapple. It can also show notes and flavours of cream and vanilla if aged in oak barrels.
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Where Is Chardonnay From
Chardonnay originates from Burgundy and takes its name from the village in southern Burgundy with the same name – the place where the world’s oldest Chardonnay vineyards can be found. Nowadays, the grape is grown in virtually every wine region in the world, thereby revealing the diversity of the grape and the variety of the wine styles associated with it.
Difference Between A Dry Wine And Wine That Dries Out Our Mouths
Wines that are dry lack sweetness. Wines that dry out our mouths have tannins. Tannins act like an astringent and suck the saliva out of our cheeks. The wine jargon is very confusing because in reality dry is the opposite of wet, not the opposite of sweet. Most white wines do not have tannins, so its safe to assume the wine is dry and not drying.
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Varieties Of White Wine
Though Chardonnay is the most popular amongst the array of white wines, there are numerous other varieties to choose from. Explore the wide varieties of white wine available and choose the one that suits you best.
Check out the complete list of Sweet White Wines and Fruity White Wines. If you prefer a dry white wine explore all its varieties.
Vin Vault Chardonnay California 3l
This wine is rich and creamy, with tart apple and pear flavors, and subtle caramel and toasty toffee notes on the finish. Also look out for the Cabernet Sauvignon here, which is a deep ruby-purple color, with really sumptuous black fruit aromas, along with graphite and sweet oak spice. Its round, plush and soft with chocolate-covered black cherry notes, vanilla bean, chewy tannins and a subtle smoky herbaceous note on a blueberry compote-tinged finish.
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How To Enjoy Chardonnay Wine
Before you pop open that bottle of Chardonnay, we have a few tips to share on how to drink wine like an expert.
Whether you’re having a wine tasting party or just need to unwind from a long day of adulting, Chardonnay is one of those wines that fits just about any occasion you can imagine. Use the pointers below to make the most of your next glass, including the best temperature for serving, fabulous food pairings, and the type of glassware to use.
