Response Australian Chardonnay
Uploaded by
jextxadoreResponse Australian Chardonnay
Uploaded by
jextxadoreQuestion
Identify the components used in the blend of the following wines and explain how each component
contributes to the style, quality and price:
1. Large volume branded Australian Chardonnay (33%)
2. Sauternes 1er Cru Classé Grands Vin (33%)
3. Red Rioja Gran Reserva (34%)
Response
Note: italicised text was added after transcribing as a note of what I know I missed.
Australian Chardonnay
This is usually dry, medium(+) acidity, medium(+) body, ,medium alcohol, medium(-) intensity nose & palate,
short finish. Flavours of green apple, lemon, honeysuckle, pear, melon — no oak or lees contact.
Acceptable–good quality, inexpensive price. Flavours are simple with varying ripeness. Not suitable for
bottle ageing.
Grapes for this usually come from anywhere in the Southeast Australia region and producers are not picky
about quality, preferring the lowest bidder (who is usually cropping at high yields to maximise revenue,
leading to medium(-) intensity) — this cost saving is passed on to the consumer but also means grapes
have little consistency in ripeness so fruit flavours may range from green apple and lemon to honeydew
and cantaloupe, but are rarely particularly as hang time represents slower cash flow for the grower & risk of
yield loss due to weather e.g. autumn rain, so growers harvest as early as feasible. So phenolic ripeness is
usually low, which may give bitterness. This early harvest is also responsible for the med(-) body due to
minimal sugar accumulation.
The blend is rarely 100% Chardonnay as single variety Australians only need 85% of the stated variety so
a bulking grape e.g. Semillon is common — Semillon can contribute body and mouthfeel to the early-
harested Chardonnay and some high acidity lemon aromas/flavours. Here Semillon’s inoffensive simplicity
of primary characteristics is a bonus as ripeness (sugar & phenolic) is not as crucial. So the producer may
again favour the lowest bidder (grower), to pass cost savings to the consumer at the cost of aromatic
complexity and intensity. Overall the lack of selection of provenance (-> ripeness) and minimal sorting lend
mostly acceptable quality, whilst blending a bulking grape up to the maximum results in serious dilution of
flavour (-> med(-) intensity nose and palate, med(-) body), again creating acceptable quality.
Sauternes
This is usually sweet, pronounced intensity nose & palate, high acidity, high alcohol, full body, long finish.
Flavours of mango, pineapple, guava, cantaloupe, apricot, yellow peach, acacia, elderflower, orange peel,
marmalade, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove; with age (long ageing potential), mushroom, earth, toast.
Outstanding quality, premium price.
This is usually a blend of Semillon (dominant), Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle.
Semillon contributes body and high acidity, making the backbone for a long ageing wine. It botrytises
easily due to thin skin so contributes lots of honey and orange peel/marmalade aromas/flavours too.
Sauvignon Blanc is the contributor of pronounced intensity and overall flavour complexity, as well as high
acidity; though not always with the ageing potential of Semillon so it is rarely the dominant variety.
Muscadelle is used usually in small quantity for perfume and aromatic complexity as a more floral
compliment to Sauvignon Blanc.
For 1er Cru grand vin, grapes will be 100% botrytised and this means a consistency and high intensity of
prized botrytis flavours like marmalade and honey so necessarily hand harvested — the repeated cost of
labour is more expensive long term than a machine and this greatly increases cost to consumer. 100%
botrytis can also only be achieved by harvesting in multiple tries, which means harvesters are paid for
more time and must be trained to identify what to pick, further increasing costs of production, ergo to
consumer.
Full botrytis also increases the risk of crop loss via frost or rain, and this is common, so the producer must
always charge more to act as insurance against bad vintages.
Rioja
This is dry, medium(+) acidity, full body, med(+) tannin of a ripe nature, high alcohol, med(+) intensity nose
& palate, long finish. Good–outstanding quality, med–premium price, suitable for bottle ageing. Flavours of
strawberry, red cherry, blackberry; clove, earth, nutmeg; leather, potpourri, balsamic vinegar, mushroom.
This is usually a blend of Tempranillo (dominant), Grenache, Mazuelo, and Graciano.
Tempranillo is versatile — potentially very high yielding (esp. w/ irrigation) so quality is highly dependant on
the grower (those who grow at lower yields will give better intensity and complexity, but necessarily sell to
the winery at a higher price, which is passed on to the consumer). It forms the basis of most Gran Reserva
w/ aromas of strawberry & cherry.
Grenache is better suited to the Oriental zone and capable of dry farming in the drier climate, which
increases concentration and intensity but also lowers yields, which increases costs. But it is also
susceptible to a trunk disease (incurable) so must be handled w/ care and clean tools. So it is capable of
high quality, but the careful handling means extra time and attention/effort in the vineyard ergo higher
price. It contributes flavours of strawberry, full body, and (very) high alcohol. Producers like Palacios
Remondo use it as the principal variety for its perfumed character. I’m not sure why I added the last
sentence — doesn’t add to the argument.
Mazuelo is fading in popularity but contributes high tannin and high acidity, though sometimes also
bitterness if not fully ripe — achieving full ripeness raises risk of crop damage due to weather therefore cost
to winery, therefore to consumer. At higher yields it is almost a bulking grape and can therefore be used to
lower costs, at the expense of complexity and quality but older vines (often bush) at lower yields (->
increased cost) contribute complex spice and red berry flavours — the latter style must be hand harvested,
so increases costs due to labour though adds quality via complexity.
Graciano is prized for its dark fruit (blackberry) flavours and high tannin. It is occasionally used for single-
variety Rioja.