Wine: Beringer Napa Valley Private Reserve Chardonnay Grape: Chardonnay Region: Napa Valley Vintage: 1997 WHERE does the very best chardonnay come from? The definitive answer must be Burgundy, where wines such as Le Montrachet and its cousins Batard Montrachet and Chevalier Montrachet can provide wonderful experiences.
Unfortunately, for every good bottle of white burgundy there can be nine duds which can be dilute, acidic and lacking in fruit.
For consistency, the Napa Valley is disputably the best region for chardonnay, and Beringer one of its finest producers. Three of its chardonnays are available in Hong Kong.
Ed Sbragia, Beringer Vineyards' winemaker, uses wood primarily from French oak forests to add particular flavours, or 'seasonings', to his wines. The oaks themselves vary in character. 'French oak from the Nevers forest has a denser porosity than oak grown near Limousin,' he states, 'and the flavours that each wood imparts to a wine can be distinctly different just as oak grown in Kentucky may have a different flavour than Oregon oak.' For the Beringer Founders Estate Chardonnay 1998, because of the high quality of the fruit, Sbragia chose to ferment more than 80 per cent of the wine in barrels, using a combination of French and American oak. The remainder was stainless steel-fermented to retain the fresh, bright, fruit quality he was looking for in this chardonnay.
The barrel-fermented wine underwent malolactic fermentation to provide a richer mouth-feel. It was then oak-aged for more than six months to give it a hint of toasty vanilla. This chardonnay displays rich tropical fruit, sweet oak, vanilla and citrus aromas and flavours, and has a smooth finish.
The Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay 1998, meanwhile, was fermented entirely in French oak barrels and aged sur lie for eight months. The lees were stirred once a month, producing a smooth, elegant texture in the wine. Malolactic fermentation converted the wine's malic acid into lactic acid, softening the wine while contributing rich, buttery flavours.