A Stupid Question for a Sommelier
New Oak, old oak, no oak: Campagne’s Cyril Frechier demystifies chardonnay.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 24, 2010 at 02:52PM
6 Comments
From 1990 to 2007, Cyril Frechier, now wine and spirits director at Campagne and Cafe Campagne, was the wine director and GM of Rover’s restaurant in Madison Valley. Born and raised in France, he honed his skills attending wine master classes in London. “The exhilaration and inspiration received from these lectures,” says Cyril, have never left him.
Here, a stupid question for Cyril Frechier.
You hear a lot about chardonnays being oaky or not oaky. What does that mean exactly?
Since Roman times, sturdiness, watertight structure, and flavor-enhancing compounds have made oak the favorite wood type for shipping and storing wine the world over. The more relevant and obvious benefit to the consumer are oak’s organoleptic (I love that word) properties.
I’m glad you love that word, Cyril, but I should probably cut in and explain that “organoleptic” refers to the wine’s sensory properties—taste, color, odor, etc. Alright, carry on.
Oaky flavors are commonly described as vanilla, coconut, burnt toast, caramel, tobacco, spicy, cedar, and clove. Some white-grape varietals are natural partners for these flavors; chardonnay chief among them. Reds that can handle oak’s sometimes overbearing flavors include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah/shiraz, tempranillo and, to a lesser extent, pinot noir.
How “oaky” a wine is depends on the provenance, brand, size, manufacturing requirements, and percentage of new barrels that are used. Old barrels can be neutral, while new barrels will impart 100-percent oakiness.
Okay, back to chardonnay. If I don’t like oaky chardonnays, does that mean I won’t like any chard?
As in most things in life, balance and harmony is key. Excessive oak flavors will obliterate chardonnay’s more delicate floral, herbal, and citrusy characteristics. But oak, when well handled, can add layers of flavors and complexity that unoaked chardonnays rarely display.
But how can I tell, looking at the label, if a chard is oaky?
Look on the bottle’s front and back label. Any mention of oak, vanilla, toasted flavors, etc is a dead giveaway. Words like Reserve, Special Cuvée, and Estate can point to a fancier, more expensive bottling in which new oak barrels may have been used.
Alright, homework time. Can you suggest two chards—one unoaked, one oaked—to compare side by side?
Here are two from the Willamette Valley in Oregon: Chehalem 2007 Inox Chardonnay takes its name from the abbreviation of the French word for stainless steel. This wine is 100 percent stainless-steel fermented. It’s light, crisp, fresh, and delicious. Ponzi Vineyards 2006 Chardonnay Reserve: A good example of how oak can enhance chardonnay fruit when in the hands of a deft winemaker.
Tags: Wine, A Stupid Question for a Sommelier, Pike Place Market
I don’t like Rieslings—so sweet! Does that mean I’ll never find one I like?
In response to Chris, the colder the climate the grape is grown the more residual sugars it produces, this is one reason why Riesling grapes are sweet. so I would say yes to your question (although there are different levels of sweetness) and move to southern white varietals :)
Thanks, Wendy. Have any particular suggestions? Would love to hear them.
Hmm. I’m not ready for you to give up on rieslings yet, Chris. An off-dry riesling it in conjuction with a plate of spicy Thai green curry? Oh, there are few things finer.
Agreed, hate Riesling, but had one fairly recently that wasn’t too sweet. Of course I didn’t write it down, so I’ll get back to you in a decade when I come across it again.
I’ve heard that a lot of French chards (sometimes basically a white burgundy) are not very oaky. True story?
Good question Nick. I’ll let Cyril answer it: “In a nutshell (and with lots of exceptions) chardonnays from California, Washington and Australia tend toward heavier use of oak. Oregon and Burgundy’s Cotes de Beaune (that’s where it can get complicated) will show more moderate amounts.”