Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

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When wine drinkers gather for a meal, the collaborative plan is to first select white wines that will go with the first course. Then, in natural progression, the call is to decide on the red wines that arrive later in the meal.  

Matching a white wine to a red wine has long been a common practice. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc is a traditional example.  For me, though, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is one of the most successful pairings.

Both grapes have been associated with the Burgundy region of eastern France since the Middle Ages, and they remained exclusively in France for centuries, before heading out to wine regions around the world.  The two varieties had a symbiotic, though unknown, relationship until the 20th century when DNA profiling disclosed the ancestry of Chardonnay to be none other than Pinot Noir.

Today, Chardonnay is a global brand.  Pinot Noir, however, stays more on a regional basis, owing to the grape's sensitivity to climate and vineyard propagation. Chardonnay's adaptability has allowed growers to plant it under a range of climate and soil conditions. Pinot Noir, on the other hand, stubbornly proved difficult to grow and sensitive to make.

There's more to both of these varieties, but before delving a little deeper into each, I'll pause here for a brief aside. While writing this post, I took a moment to read this funny bit about wine writing in Tom Wark's Fermentation:  "While learning grape varieties and regions can be fun - in the sense that staying home on Saturday nights to watch documentaries on Theodore Roosevelt is fun - it is unnecessary." Joel Stein, wrote that in his "The End of My Career." And while it fulfills my wish for more humor in wine writing, Stein's claim is like saying one doesn't need to know anything about Ernest Hemingway's personality and lifestyle to know what motivated him to write "The Old Man and the Sea, " and "The Sun Also Rises."  Background helps with context.  

                                       

Understanding Chardonnay

Few wines, white or red, have been both lauded and trashed like Chardonnay.  For instance, the Chardonnay grape has been mistaken for Auxerrois, a variety that's more at home in Alsace than Burgundy.

A bit of grape trivia.  In Alsace, Auxerrois is another name for Pinot Gris, which itself was once called Tokay Gris, although it has nothing to do with Hungarian Tokaj.  As if that's not confusing enough, Auxerrois is also known as Auxerrois de Laquenexy in Alsace and Luxembourg.  And nearby, in Germany's Moselle, Chardonnay was once known as Auxerrois Blanc. 

Then, there's the mistaking of Pinot Blanc, a white mutation of Pinot Noir, for Chardonnay.  Despite the confusion, though, since the early years of the 20th century, Chardonnay has been planted just about everywhere and celebrated in even more places.  

But you don't have to be a grape grower to appreciate the charms of Chardonnay (or Auxerrois).  But knowing a little about the growth habits of the grape will surely improve and increase your appreciation of the wine.

Climatically, Chardonnay likes to be right in the middle between cool and warm, especially in clay soils, veined with limestone and chalk.  In cool climates, Chardonnay is lean with racy acidity, while warmer climate Chardonnay can be weak and flabby from low acidity. 

Chardonnay wine making is either cool in stainless steel fermenting tanks or warm in oak barrels.  Because Chardonnay is low in aromatics and distinctive flavors, it usually is accompanied by the toasty smoky notes of oak, mainly French.  Cool climate unoaked Chardonnay leans toward pears, citrus and honey. 

Pairing Chardonnay with food is an easy task, because there is a style of Chardonnay for every occasion.  Leaner unoaked Chardonnay is a good match with simply prepared fish, roast chicken and pork.  Add oak, and the best food matches become more flavorful smoked fish, or roast turkey dark meat and spicy Asian dishes.  

                                                       

Understanding Pinot Noir

Nailing the essence of Chardonnay is easy, compared to the more difficult challenge of  describing the character and flavor of Pinot Noir.  I've had a lifelong fondness for Pinot Noir, but I still struggle to say what Pinot Noir means to me.  I could tick off the places where Pinot Noir shines, like Burgundy, Oregon and California, but it's more than that.

Youthful Pinot Noir overflows with ripe black cherry and strawberries, maturing to deep fruit flavors, accented by leather, wood smoke and enticing exotic spices.  Savoring all of those things together sounds crazy, but before you take a sip, put your nose in the glass and take a deep sniff. 

Don't be swayed by verbal nonsense, like "sweaty saddle." It was once used in place of leathery to describe Pinot Noir and thankfully never caught on.  Then, there's the unfortunate example of bad translations that developed into a minor flap.  A number of years ago, a misunderstanding circulated in wine circles that a noted English Master of Wine had described the smell of Burgundy as "gout de merde."  In fact, the MW had been talking with a maitre de chai (cellarmaster) in Burgundy who, when describing his red wine, meant a barn smell.  To Americans, though, the m-word meant human rather than animal and the story got legs.  

Also misunderstood is the proper color of Pinot Noir.  It should be a medium ruby, not light like rosé, or deep red like Syrah.  With age, Pinot Noir takes on a brick-red color with yellow edges.  

The taste of Pinot Noir is black cherry, spice, earthy and smoky oak. There is no other wood for aging Pinot Noir than French.  American oak is too bold and resinous, while the gentle spice of French oak makes a good partner with Pinot Noir and it blends nicely with the taste.

Before Pinot Noir, from Burgundy or elsewhere, ever gets to that earthy stage, there is the influence of the vineyard.  Pinot Noir is an early-ripening variety that does best in cool climates like Burgundy, Carneros, Russian River and Oregon's Willamette Valley.  The best soils for Pinot Noir are threaded through with limestone and clay, giving the wine a distinct minerality. 

Deciding which grape makes the best wine is a matter of taste.  Devotees of Cabernet Sauvignon say the character of their favorite grape is, by definition, what makes the wine great.  Mature Cabernet Sauvignon/Bordeaux is, without question hard to beat, except for one other wine: Pinot Noir/Burgundy.

Finally, there are classic dishes, like boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin, that are traditional with red Burgundy, but Pinot Noir is great with roasts and grilled meats, mushrooms and vegetables.  And it tastes great with roast turkey, grilled salmon and aged cheeses. 

There are many white and red wines to choose today, but when thinking of one as an aperitif or with dinner, you'll never go wrong with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

 

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