Attributes of Chardonnay

Chardonnay has long been considered one of the three noble white grape varieties that also includes Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. It is interesting to note that although Chardonnay is acknowledged as producing one of the world's greatest dry white wine in Burgundy, based solely on the recently (1999) elucidated genetic parentage of Chardonnay would lead one to some skepticism regarding the variety.
DNA fingerprinting performed on Chardonnay revealed that one of the noble grape’s ancestors was a viticultural “commoner” known as Gouais Blanc and the other was the Pinot grape. Gouais Blanc is nearly extinct now, but both grapes were widespread in northeast France in the Middle Ages.¹ The Gouais grape was grown by peasants on land not considered acceptable for Pinot in fact, the French gou is a term of derision. Gouais Blanc notwithstanding, Chardonnay is among the world's most planted grape due to it's viticultural adaptability and enological malleability.²

Attributes of Chardonnay

• Thrives in cool districts
• Vines leaf out and bud early and are susceptible to damage from early spring frosts
• Cool, wet weather during flowering can produce uneven fruitset (millerandage)
• Relatively thin skinned
• Capable of adapting to various climates and soil types
• Requires well drained soils
• Excessive heat can diminish acidity
• Susceptible to powdery mildew
• Susceptible to botrytis bunch rot in rainy harvests

This is meant to be a companion blogpost to Attributes of Cabernet Franc.

References:
1. Bowers, J., Boursiquot, J.M., This, P., Chu, K., Johansson, H., & Meredith, C, 1999, Historical Genetics: The Parentage of Chardonnay, Gamay, and Other Wine Grapes of Northeastern France, Science: 285, pp 1562 - 1565.
2. Sweet, Nancy, L., Foundation Plant Services, UC Davis, Chardonnay History and Selections at FPS, Foundation Plant Services FPS Grape Program Newsletter November 2007.
3. J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz, Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, Allen Lane 2012 ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2.