WHITE MISCHEF

California's capricious Chardonnays suit every taste and temperament

JOEL L. FLEISHMAN

Wine

Chardonnay wines are as stylistically varied as tastes in food or fashion. There seems to be no single great Chardonnay style, but rather about half a dozen or more, depending on how narrowly one slices the shades of difference. All good Chardonnays have a core of fruit flavors, sometimes sweet and sometimes dry, and around that core are related essences of tart citrus, pepper, or other piquant spices that produce tanginess. Arrayed against those bright fruit and tangy/spicy essences are sometimes pungent and sometimes embittering flavors of oak wood, toast, tobacco, and anise, with the tension between the two flavor groups producing the depth and complexity which define greatness. Finally there are sensations of butterscotch, caramel, and honey that enrich the whole with a golden sheen. What defines a distinctive style is the degree to which like flavors dominate the blend. In recent years, the trend was toward both all-oak and sugary Chardonnays, and there is currently enthusiasm for the lush, tropical barrel-fermented variety. The greatest Chardonnays embody generous, vigorous flavors married to one another in perfect balance.

We recently conducted a blind tasting of eighty Chardonnays, produced in 1986, 1987, and 1988. The wines were organized in eight flights and tasted three times—on opening as well as twelve and eighteen hours later. All wines are from California unless otherwise noted.

Several wines ranked so close together in quality that it was difficult to choose among them, except on the basis of individual taste preferences. The 1987 Long ($28) is, simply put, stunning in its gorgeous balance of all flavor groups, with none absent or in excess. It is a benchmark. Kistler's 1986 Dutton Ranch ($17) is of the same quality, but its melon fruit, while rich and intense, is less sweet, making it taste lean, firm, and elegant rather than voluptuous; it has a bracing, spicy dryness. Far Niente's 1988 ($28) is even sparer and more bracing, with vigorous dry lime and pineapple flavors, challenged by equally vigorous peppery anise. Kalin's 1987 Cuvee BL ($22) has the same character of anise, but plenty of semisweet, opulent orange and lime fruit to go along with it. Forman's 1988 ($20), its best since the extraordinary 1985, has sweet cantaloupe and lime flavors, made even more appealing by a slightly pungent edge. The 1987 William Hill Reserve ($18), light but cleanly focused, is an elegant balance of sweet fruit, anise, and caramel. The 1988 De Loach ($15) is unabashedly straightforward in its beautifully balanced tastes of sweet pineapple and spicy anise. The 1986 Reserve from Cambria ($25), a new Santa Barbara County label, has rich lime, cantaloupe, and toast flavors, framed by tobacco, all in wonderful balance. It is a promising addition to America's great Chardonnays.

The second-ranking group of wines was also quite impressive. One of the loveliest, most graceful Chardonnays in the tasting was the elegant 1988 Titus Vineyard from Chateau Woltner ($54). It is a finely knit wine of vigorous but delicate and softly perfumed dry fruit flavors. The 1987 St. Clement ($15) has wonderfully sweet, lean, and focused lime, pineapple, and cantaloupe flavors, with moderate tobacco. Talbott's 1987 ($22) has lovely toast and soft, pungent melon essences. The 1987 Winemaker's Reserve from Clos du Bois ($24) is a pleasing mix of mild caramel, spare citrus, spice, and anise. Robert Mondavi's

1987 ($25) is his best reserve in several years. It is a deep and powerful limetoast-and-tobacco blend in beautiful balance, with a long, clean, refreshing finish. His 1988 Napa ($14) is a spicy, citrusy treat. The Hess Collection's

1988 Napa ($14) is rich, full, and spicy, with intense, long flavors of sweet, slightly pungent pineapple and tobacco. The always reliable Trefethen has another winner in its 1987 ($17), an exhilarating concoction of intense lime and tobacco flavors.

Other wines that showed well included the 1988 Matanzas Creek ($19), 1988 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve ($13), 1988 Cambria sur Lees ($15), 1988 S. Anderson ($18), 1988 Iron Horse ($18), 1988 Edna Valley ($15), 1988 De Loach O.F.S. ($22), 1988 Kendall-Jackson Proprietor's Reserve ($23), 1988 Kent Rasmussen ($20), 1988 Ferrari-Carano ($18), 1987 Cain Cellars ($16), 1988 Simi ($16), and 1987 Chateau Montelena Napa ($20).

A pleasant surprise in this tasting was the clean, crisp, intense 1986 Guenoc Premier Cuvee ($18), from a Lake County, California, winery that started out producing lower-priced wines and has now begun to prove that it can compete with even the greatest producers of Chardonnay. The same winery's 1988 North Coast ($10), a flavorful blending of apple essences and tobacco, came in first among the least-expensive wines. Other price/quality bargains are the 1988 Hess Select ($9), 1988 Columbia Crest (Washington; $7), and 1988 Hawk Crest ($9).