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Chardonel

Chardonel Wine Details
Price: $13.99 per bottle

Description: A newer variety well suited to areas of the Midwest. Chardonel is the result of a cross of Chardonnay x Seyval blanc. A medium to full bodied wine with ample fruit and crispness to pair well with chicken or other white meats and pasta’s with cream sauce.

Varietal Definition
Seyval Blanc:
A French hybrid that is often thought of as "East Coast Chardonnay," or at least an alternative to same. Produced in a crisp, dry style, this white wine is often fermented or aged in oak to enhance the rather neutral flavors of the grape itself. It lends itself to service at the dining table and is food friendly. Seyval Blanc is often used in proprietary blends; good examples can be found from Prejean, Clinton and Château Lafayette Reneau.
Chardonel:
Chardonel was developed in New York State, to be a late-ripening, highly-productive, cold-climate varietal. A cross of Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc, Chardonel is proving its value in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states. Given much of the same treatment as Chardonnay, it adapts well to barrel fermention, and controlled lees contact. The result is often a full-bodied dry wine, high in alcohol and acidity, with a similar, if less pronounced character than Chardonnay.
Chardonnay:
Chardonnay is by far the most widely planted grape crop in California and dominates California’s cooler, coastal, quality wine regions. The natural varietal ‘taste and smell’ of Chardonnay is surprisingly unfamiliar to many wine drinkers, as its true character is often guised with dominating winemaking signatures. Chardonnay’s rather subdued primary fruit characteristics lean toward the crisp fruitiness of apples, pears and lemon, but the variety’s full body is capable of supporting a host of complementary characteristics, such as oak, butter and vanilla. Regardless of what is the appropriate style for Chardonnay, the varietal continues to dominate vineyard plantings in every corner of the world. Close attention to clonal selection has made this broad geographic and climactic range of Chardonnay viable in thoughtful viticultural hands.


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