Barrel Fermentation of PN in NZ

I've had a few really nice non-ML Chards, and it's clearly something the winemaker really has to get dialed-in on through experience.

Flowers and El Molino are two examples that spring to mind of delightful non-ML Cal Chards. I recently had an '02 El Molino Chard from a 375ml, something Reg Oliver brought as a treat to a gathering, and it was a sharp reminder that the right fruit and right winemaker's touch can yield stellar results. Getting reasonably ripe fruit with exactly the right acid balance up-front and preserving that balance throughout vinification seems to be the trick. Another non-ML Cal Chard I think of is Scott Chafen's Dutch Henry; it can be *really* pretty stuff in the right year.

The more I think about it, it's sort of ironic how well Cal Chard can lend itself to non-ML and yet how fixated the wineries seem to be on buttery confections.

Dana

Wait a minute. It's entirely possible to have a Chardonnay go full ML and _not_ display any particularly noticeable diacetyl. If the wine is on its lees and stirred occasionally the butter disappears - or so I'm told.

And so I've tasted.

Tom S

Here's a list of some Cal Chards w/o malo (and a couple of related articles):

Obviously, we can't argue over what's actually in the glass, but I can't help but believe that once a flavor component is in a wine, it stays there unless it's somehow removed. If an ML fermentation produces diacetyl, then the flavor will be present. Perhaps it's the case that the lees are used to remove the diacetyl in a kind of fining? Perhaps also the specific Chardonnay clones that are used have an impact as well.

Dana

According to my reading, diacetyl production and retention thereof in ML fermentation is enhanced by (1) conducting the ML fermentation _after_ the alcoholic fermentation, as opposed to concurrently, and (2) the absence of yeast and ML lees during aging. Conversely of course, to permit ML to occur while minimizing the production and retention of diacetyl one does the opposite: ML fermentation simultaneously with the alcoholic fermentation, and sur lie aging.

Perhaps also the specific Chardonnay clones

Apparently so - but in a less direct manner than I inferred from your comment. Some clones of Chardonnay evidently tend to produce a higher ratio of malic to tartaric acid than others. The Martini clone may run up to ~40% malic (of the total acid present), whereas the Dijon clone may be only 10% malic. Guess which one is capable of more profound butteriness? Of course those numbers are approximate, and may well represent extremes between warm climate Martini and cool climate Dijon clones, but you get the idea.

Tom S

It's my understanding that if you let the ML bacteria keep going after all the malic acid has been consumed, they will metabolize the diacetyl as well and "butteriness" is correspondingly decreased. Winemakers who want to maximize diacetyl jack up the sulfites as soon all the malic acid is gone. FWIW, Sierra Vista (El Dorado County) makes a nice no-oak, no-MLF Chardonnay that should be available for $12 or so.

- Mark W.