The background that matters
Chardonnay is the offspring of Pinot and Gouais Blanc, a parentage shown by DNA analysis in 1999. The same pair of parents also produced Gamay Noir, Aligoté and Melon. Parentage explains where a variety comes from; it does not tell you how any particular Chardonnay will taste.
Read it alongside this wine
Three of the wines list Chardonnay alone: Hoddles Creek Estate 2024 from the Yarra Valley in Australia, and Paul Hobbs 2020 (Russian River Valley) and Patz & Hall 2021 (Sonoma Coast) from the United States. The fourth, Girolamo Conforti’s Franciacorta Brut from Italy, is a sparkling wine that also lists Pinot Nero. Place, vintage, producer and style all change at once, so no single difference can be traced to the grape alone.
Try it with the review
Open the reviews published for these wines and sort each observation into what may come from the fruit, what may come from winemaking (such as oak, lees or the sparkling process), and what you cannot assign with confidence.
These are learning prompts, not guaranteed tasting results. Separate the published facts from your own observations.
Hoddles Creek Estate Chardonnay, Yarra Valley 2024
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2020
Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2021
Girolamo Conforti '1570 Libellus de Vino Mordaci' Franciacorta Brut
