Lent is the season of denial, of giving up something to strengthen one’s spiritual discipline. Most often what is denied is food–these days it is meat, but in centuries past, dairy and other products also were forbidden.
But as you “suffer” through Lent’s humble fare, which can range from a grilled cheese sandwich to freshly fried fish spritzed with lemon to a vegetable gratin, remember that while the plate may deny, the cup can surely bring pleasure.
Especially if you choose a rich and full-to-the-point-of-butteriness chardonnay. Now, overly oaky chardonnay is a bane of modern life, so much so that many winemakers are heading in the opposite direction and producing crisp, green, unwooded styles.
Yet there are oaked chardonnays out there with a lively acidity underlying those notes of vanilla and butterscotch. These chardonnays work well with shellfish and rich cream sauces, especially since the acid can punctuate the sauce. Their appeal endures despite the whims of fashion.
“No matter what winemakers say about making their chardonnay `fruit forward’ … the public still seems to like the big, fat, full-bodied styles, especially when they cost more than $20,” said Gregg Wilson, wine buyer at The Artisan Cellar in Chicago.
The funny thing is most winemakers don’t tell you the style of their chardonnay. You have to suss it out by looking at how golden the color is (only workable with clear bottles) and by reading the label. “Oak-aging” and “barrel-aging” are tell-tale clues, as are descriptives that evoke a sense of butteriness, cream, vanilla or richness.
When in doubt, check in with your wine seller or sommelier; he or she can help guide you to the proper wine for your dish all year-round, not just during Lent.
Beyond butter and oak
Many chardonnays are overwhelmed by too much oak, leaving little but wood in the mouth. Thankfully, these seven whites aren’t in that class. They boast the nuance and balance you would expect in wines costing more than $17. In an informal blind tasting, the Good Eating staff sampled seven California chardonnays culled from our collection (we wanted California, we wanted some oak, we wanted richness) and came away largely impressed.
2002 Clos Pegase Chardonnay Mitsuko’s Vineyard
From the Carneros region comes this winning 100 percent chardonnay. Our top scorer by a wide margin, this white had a peppery, bright finish, crisp minerality and some buttery notes that not only softened the edges but also filled the mouth with flavor. Serve with sole in white wine sauce, rich sashimi, skate with capers, planked salmon.
(3 corkscrews)
$17
2002 Beringer Chardonnay Private Reserve
This Napa Valley white offered the sort of honeyed flavor notes you’d expect from a wine fermented in French oak barrels yet the flavor was balanced, not overdone. “Sophisticated layers of fruit and oak, with buttery finish,” one taster wrote. Serve with broiled swordfish, baked stuffed shrimp, bouillabaisse, morels in cream sauce.
(3 corkscrews)
$27
2002 Grgich Hills
Chardonnay
For the Francophile in the tasting panel, this Napa Valley white was the closest to Chablis; hence her perfect score of 10. The wine did have an appealingly flinty minerality and a stout tartness that would match up well with rich dishes. Serve with fettuccine Alfredo, crab-stuffed trout, lobster, quiche.
(3 corkscrews)
$36
2003 Chappellet
Chardonnay
From Napa Valley comes a wine with a flowery, springlike aroma giving way to spicy, citrusy flavors and a buttery fruitiness. One panelist thought it a bit too sweet; another thought it too alcoholic. Serve with whitefish, shrimp, scallops, crab cakes.
(2 corkscrews)
$30
2002 Far Niente
Chardonnay
Notes of lemon and pears are mellowed by buttery oak in this Napa Valley white. A mineral finish gives the wine a pleasant crispness. But one panelist thought the wine lacked depth. Another thought the wine too disciplined. “Elegant but passion missing,” he wrote. Serve with curried shrimp, crab enchiladas, seafood lasagna.
(2 corkscrews)
$45
2002 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay
This wine from California’s Monterey County was praised by one taster for its notes of oak and grapefruit. Others were less pleased. “Little fruit flavor,” complained one. Another taster thought the wine had a smooth finish but a strong alcohol taste. Serve with shrimp linguine, fried fish, cheese ravioli.
(2 corkscrews)
$27
2002 B.R. Cohn Chardonnay Joseph Herman Vineyard
This Carneros white had its admirers. “Very clean and crisp,” wrote one. But most panelists were more ho-hum about it. One described the aroma as bandagelike. Another thought the wine bright but a bit too sweet. Serve with quesadillas, fried calamari, pepper-and-egg sandwiches.
(2 corkscrews)
$19
Sources: We found these wines at Sam’s Wines & Spirits, The Artisan Cellar and various Binny’s Beverage Depot locations, including Ivanhoe Castle, Downtown on Grand Street and Niles. Not every wine may be in stock at your local stores; prices may vary from store to store. Prices are rounded off.
Ratings key:
(4 corkscrews) Excellent
(3 corkscrews) Very good
(2 corkscrews) Good
(1 corkscrew) Fair
(No corkscrews) Poor
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Hear Bill Daley on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. each Tuesday and 7:52 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
