Wine Enthusiast Magazine April 2022

Jacqueline Strum EDITOR & PUBLISHER EXECUTIVE EDITOR Lauren Buzzeo TASTING DIRECTOR Alexander Peartree CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marco Turelli DIGITAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR Julia Lea EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL Emily Saladino SENIOR DIGITAL EDITOR Dylan Garret DIGITAL EDITOR Kristen Richard ASSISTANT EDITOR, DIGITAL J’nai Gaither ASSISTANT EDITOR, PRINT Jacy Topps DIGITAL EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jaime Brown DESIGN ART DIRECTOR Monica Simon DIGITAL DESIGNER Eric DeFreitas VISUALS PRODUCER Jesse Reiter ASSOCIATE PHOTO PRODUCER Tom Arena TASTING ASSISTANT TASTING DIRECTOR Fiona Adams TASTING COORDINATOR Craig Chamberlain ASSISTANT TASTING COORDINATOR Cody Wexler SOCIAL SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Elyse Estrella SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Marco Bruno COMMUNITY COORDINATOR Ruya Kirac CONTRIBUTING EDITORS EUROPEAN EDITOR Roger Voss ITALIAN EDITOR Kerin O’Keefe WINE Virginie Boone, Mike DeSimone, Jim Gordon, Paul Gregutt, Anna Lee C. Iijima, Jeff Jenssen, Matt Kettmann, Christina Pickard, Michael Schachner, Sean P. Sullivan SPIRITS Kara Newman BEER John Holl FOOD Nils Bernstein TRAVEL Lauren Mowery CALIFORNIA Virginie Boone, vboone@wineenthusiast.net; Jim Gordon, jgordon@wineenthusiast.net; Matt Kettmann, mkettmann@wineenthusiast.net EUROPE Roger Voss rvoss@wineenthusiast.net ITALY Kerin…

A paradoxical grape, Chardonnay can evoke a particular place, expressing terroir and viticultural methodology, or be massaged via vinification to a winemaker’s intent. It’s universally loved by some, while maligned or misunderstood by others. In this issue, we look to the masterful artists who have made Chardonnay their medium. Starting in Burgundy, we see a pivotal moment of identity. Contributing Editor Anna Lee C. Iijima reports on how warming temperatures have altered what was historically considered the typical climate of the region (page 44). The impact has yielded wines with higher alcohol and more consistent fullness in flavor—will these characteristics become the region’s new norm? Over in Napa and Sonoma, after decades of quality production, Chardonnay still reigns supreme. Contributing Editor Virginie Boone profiles some of the area’s quintessential Chardonnay winemakers (page 50)…

One of the world’s most versatile grapes, wine drinkers tend to either love or hate Chardonnay. For those with a negative perception, it’s usually because their first introduction was a cheap, mass-produced version that tasted like imitation popcorn butter. But Chardonnay can take many forms, from delicate sparklers to still wines that run the gamut from crisp and steely to robust and round. While many Americans connect Chardonnay to California, its roots are in Burgundy, France. Expressions vary as a result of the area’s range in climate, from cool northerly Chablis to more moderate temperatures in the Mâconnais to the south. Burgundian winemakers paved the way for practices like malolactic fermentation and barrel aging that tend to give Chardonnay a full-bodied, oaky and buttery texture. Those techniques found their way to the U.S. The…

Wine Enthusiast’s 22nd annual Wine Star Awards took place on Monday, February 7 at the Nobu Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach. The black-tie gala honored the individuals and companies that significantly contributed to the success of the drinks world and celebrated their achievements in one of the most challenging years in an ever-changing landscape. The event began with an outdoor cocktail reception where guests tasted wines from various winners as well as a cocktail created by Spirit Brand of the Year Disaronno, and an array of offerings from High Noon Sun Sips, inaugural winner of the Beverage Brand of the Year Award. Following the reception, the awards ceremony kicked off with inspirational remarks from Wine Enthusiast Chairman and CEO Adam Strum. “Tonight’s honorees have remained successful through unprecedented times, while at the…

WILLAMETTE VALLEY Early winemakers in this Oregon region selected it for similarities to Burgundy, and in fact, Chardonnay has been planted here for about 30 years. While the region’s Pinot Noir star was rising, producers were quietly working on clone and site selection to create the best Chardonnays they could. And it worked. Today’s Willamette Valley Chardonnays lie somewhere between a racy, mineral-driven Chablis and an unctuous, buttery Cali Chard. The best of these bottlings show structure and minerality like you might expect from Burgundy, with the bright and vivid fruit of an American wine. Prices generally range from $30 to up over $100, with many bottles showing impressive ageability. PUGLIA Known more for red wines made from indigenous grapes, Puglia’s Chardonnay history dates back to the 1990s. According to Cantele wines, it was Augusto…

Its descriptors are as hedonistic as a wine can get: the whiff of blooming honeysuckles on a balmy summer evening, slices of juicy, white-fleshed peaches at a farmers market stall, an oversized vase of jasmine blossoms scenting a luxe hotel lobby. But along with Viognier’s beguiling charm comes a fickleness. Low yields, propensity to powdery mildew and a short ripening window—too early and it’s bland, too late and it’s oily and flabby—are headaches for winemakers. When it’s perfect, it’s fragrant and voluptuous, with alluring notes of stone fruit, honey, star anise and ginger. Louisa Rose, chief winemaker at Yalumba, notes how those flavors can combine with “lovely richness and softness” in quality Viogniers. “Equally important is that fresh, refreshing finish,” she says. Here are three regions that deftly temper Viognier’s capriciousness into…