Grape Apes

Grape Ape - Famous Chardonnay & Pruno Fanatic

On Day 2 of TOUR 214 the morning lecture focused on wine marketing strategy; the evening tasting was a crash course of more than I’ll ever need to know about chardonnay.  The biggest take away on the marketing front was the 8 P's of wine marketing: a customized/expanded version of the traditional 4 P's.  It wasn't that interesting because of the overlap with last fall's outstanding core marketing class. The fun part after the jump.  

Chardonnay, nicknamed "The king grape", is a resilient (i.e. - can be grown almost anywhere...hence the popularity) and neutral-tasting grape.  It's tame natural flavors are a pedestal onto which the heavily oaked end product is hoisted (Robert Parker, you reading this?)  If the oaking process were an NFL coach, it would be Bill Belichick.  They are preparation nazis.  The Oak trees are aged 150 years before they are split (France) or sawed (America) and refined into planks.  I'm told French Oak yields more toasty & nutty wines, American more sweet and vanilla-ey.  Tedious coopering ensues, but not after the wood has been aged an additional 5 years.  After the barrels are assembled, they are charred (note: heavier toasting leads to fewer tannins & oak flavor), disassembled, shipped, and reassembled.  The below picture indicates their stature.  You can probably get a more efficient download on the process and its utility by going to wikipedia; I'll spare you a lengthy discussion here.  Suffice to say oaking is a way to expedite the wine's aging and concentrating its flavors.  Along with oaking, climate has a say in the final product's character: warm climate chards are peachy and banana-ey, moderate climate chards are melony, and cool climate chards taste like green apples and citrus.  Based on this information, I should be a heavy toasted - French Oak - cool climate chardonnay fan.  

Onto the tasting...the wines:

- 2010 Tietjen Witters Estate Chardonnay - $18

- 2009 Te Mata Woodthorpe Chardonnay - $22

- 2004 John Forrest Collection Chardonnay - $49

- 2009 Brookfields Bergen Chardonnay - $22

- 2009 St. Clair Omaka Reserve Chardonnay - $30

All were American Oaked except for the Brookfields and Tietjen Witters.  I thought the French Oak wines were a little more acidic (made my mouth water more).  The Te Mata and Brookfields stood out for me: both were short, not too sweet, and very clean.  The Te Mata is a Hastings, NZ chardonnay with a heavy toasted American Oak finish; the Brookfields also hails from Hawke's Bay.  The St. Clair Omaka was a bit rough, but I'd buy any of the other four if I see them on a shelf.  All this said, Tim, Scott, Dick, Cael, and Robert were not fans of NZ chardonnay.  We are all snowflakes.

One final note: I’ve never been a huge fan of the French, and here's another reason why.  I just learned the only reason we distinguish between Chablis and Chardonnay is the frogs don’t feel like sharing  their king grape name with the New World hacks.  It's the same grape genetically, but Burgundy's terrior is that much of a difference maker...Keyshawn Johnson on the French: “C’MOOOOOOOON MAN!!!!”

- Trevor