Wine Blogging Wednesday #36: Unoaked Chardonnay

Welcome to the 3rd Anniversary of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the online tasting event dreamed up by Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours, who is (appropriately) hosting this special birthday edition. Dedicated to "naked" or unoaked chardonnay, it's a tasting that I've been looking forward to because these wines made me rethink what had become a strong aversion to the varietal. Turns out it wasn't the chardonnay, but the style of chardonnay that was the problem. After years of feeling like I'd drunk a bucket of overly buttered popcorn and followed it up with a mouthful of toothpicks, it was a delight to have winemakers step away from the oak and let the varietal characteristics of the grape shine through. While it was hard to find unoaked chardonnay in the past, it is becoming more and more common to see "naked," "unwooded," and "unoaked" on labels these days.

I wanted to drink something local and historic for this month's event, and so my choice was easy: the 2006 Toad Hollow Francine's Selection Chardonnay from the Mendocino County AVA ($13 direct from the winery's tasting room in beautiful downtown Healdsburg). Toad Hollow founders Todd Williams and Rodney Strong saw that the future of chardonnay was unoaked back in 1993, when everyone else was making oak chip tea bags and going for new American barrels. The Mendocino County fruit that provides 90% of the grapes for this wine helps to keep it focused, and provides enough acidity to provide a good structure for the fruit. That's because the swings between warm days and cool nights in Mendocino County helps to keep the fruit from over-ripening. The remaining 10% of the juice comes from Sonoma County.

I found the 2006 Toad Hollow Francine's Selection to be a fresh and lively unoaked chardonnay, that smelled of golden delicious apples. Soft and food-friendly, there were apple and citrus flavors that were never harsh or acidic because the juice underwent 100% malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and was left on its lees for 8 months. The result was a wine that had a full-bodied mouthfeel without the oakiness. At 13.7% alc/vol, I was surprised to get a little bit of alcoholic heat in the aromas and a bit of afterburn in the finish. This is a new release, and I wonder if the wine still needs to settle down a bit. What will it be with 6-9 months of bottle age, because giving it a little time to open up really diminished the alcoholic sensation? Very good QPR for a wine that was easy to drink and easy to pair with food.

Toad Hollow Vineyards was started up by friends Todd Williams and Rodney Strong. Their motto is "fine wine at a reasonable price" and I certainly felt they lived up to that with this bottling. Their 2006 unoaked chardonnay was just released a few months back, so keep your eyes open for it in your local wine stores this fall.

Thanks to Lenn for hosting, and for getting us into all this trouble--I mean fun--with his Wine Blogging Wednesdays. As usual, I'll let you know when the roundup is posted and when WBW #37's theme is announced.