Anything But Chardonnay?

The ABC Club, a non-existent but descriptive group of wine-drinkers whose motto is, "Anything But Chardonnay," has a solid membership, and the membership roster grows during the summer season. This is understandable, given the tendency by some California winemakers to use far too much new or extremely volatile oak in the barrels where they make and age the wine. The result is a wine that is heavy and too robust for summer drinking. By contrast, some Chardonnays, or the white Burgundy wine made in France, are usually in stainless steel (sometimes no oak at all) for the vinification and aging processes. The result is a wine that is lighter in color, showing far less gold, and also lighter on the palate, arriving crisper and more acidic. Too many Americans, however, use "chardonnay" as a synonym for any white wine, though good bartenders often use a request for "white wine," as an opening to suggest some of the other whites that can be far superior for drinking with lunch or as a late-afternoon aperitif. Riesling, perhaps the world's greatest white grape, can be a winner if the restaurant stocks dry varieties, either German or French or American. Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Gris (Grigio in Italian) also are lighter than most American chardonnay. And by the way, if you want to stay closer to home, try some of the Missouri white wines, made from Vignoles, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc or Chardonel grapes. Vignoles was developed at Cornell University; the others are French hybrids. All are vinified dry, though Vignoles can be anything from very dry to very sweet, depending on the winemaker's desire, and a late-harvest Vignoles is an elegantly sweet, apricot-tinged dessert wine. If you have a nice weekend day, drive to the Missouri wine country and sample the dry white wines at Augusta Winery (Augusta), Blumenhof (Dutzow), Hermanhof (Hermann), Mount Pleasant (Augusta), St. James (St. James) or Stone Hill (Hermann). I've been happy with them through the years, and I've often been ready to match a good Seyval against a Chablis. Moving away from Chardonnay also is an opportunity to sample what has become a burgeoning trend – good wines in screw-cap bottles. Many California and Washington state wines are using them, and so far, the closure method has been a success. And none of these wines have been fermented or aged in wood, adding to the crisp brightness. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the extremely popular white wines of the summer, with the Pacific Coast, New Zealand and France's Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions producing some of the best.. We'll deal with a few of them today, and look at other white wines for summer quaffing soon. Two of the standouts come from New Zealand. Kim Crawford and Whitehaven wineries are both in the Marlborough area, home to exceptional Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The 2003 from Kim Crawford (about $15) has the charming crispness that is a trademark of the grape, and acidity is introduced in fine balance with the alcohol. This is a screw-cap wine, and it's splendid, a breath of spring in the middle of summer. Another New Zealand winery, Whitehaven, also has a lovely Sauvignon Blanc from 2003, at about $17. Another wine that sees no wood, it shows intriguing gooseberry aromas and complex citrus and herbaceous flavors. A number of Sauvignon Blanc varietals from California have come across the tasting table in the last month or so, and here is a selection, with commentary. The order is random, the commentary personal. Huntington Wine Cellars, in Napa, has a very nice ‘03 Sauvignon Blanc that never sees wood, but is fermented in small stainless steel tanks. The grapes are from the Dry Creek Valley area of Sonoma County; the wine has aromas of grass and gooseberry, and a brightness on the palate. At about $14, it's a wine of fine style, though it should be drunk this summer or, at latest, next summer. Whitehall Lane, from the Napa community of St. Helena, has an ‘03 that is of slightly more body than the wine above. It retails for about $15, and is a fine accompaniment to shellfish either on the half-shell or in a light, lemon or lemon grass-accented sauce. Pedroncelli, a long-time, highly regarded winery in Geyserville, has added a bit of Chardonnay (13 percent) to its ‘03 Sauvignon Blanc, at about $10. The Dry Creek Valley grapes shows considerable fruit, perhaps due to the Chardonnay blend, but there are grapefruit and lemon grass notes on the palate. Another stainless steel-only wine with a fine, crisp finish. Pepi, now a division of Kendall-Jackson, has a bright, fruity Sauvignon Blanc from 2003 at about $8, vinified from fruit that grows in Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties. A simple but tasty wine, with grapefruit overtones and the crispness that comes from a grape vinified in stainless steel. In the same price range is an offering from Bogle Vineyards, in Clarksburg, using grapes from Monterey and Amador counties. The wines are a bit lighter than those in the paragraphs above, but their flavor is lovely and the price makes it easy to open a second bottle with dinner.