Chardonnay

WhiteVinifera white

Burgundy, and every wine country since

A neutral canvas that takes its character from site and cellar: lean and mineral when picked early, tropical and buttery when picked late and put through malolactic.

At harvest

Each bar drawn against the full range of all 54 varieties

Sugar

21-24 Brix

21 - 24

Titratable acidity

6-8 g/L

6 - 8

3.2-3.5

3.2 - 3.5

Juice yield

0.66 L/kg

free run plus a gentle press

Sugar per kilogram

162 g

at 22.5 Brix, the midpoint

Fruit for 23 litres

35 kg

before racking losses

Potential alcohol

12.4-13.5%

from 1.094 fermented dry. A range, because conversion varies by strain

What it punishes

Malolactic by accident. If you want the crisp version, keep it cold and sulphured or it will convert on its own.

Made into

Dry white
Oaked white
Sparkling base

Sulphite at this pH

At pH 3.35, protecting a white wine to 0.8 mg/L molecular SO2 takes 29 mg/L of free SO2. Work it out for your own reading.

Recipes on this site that use it

Barrel-fermented white

Barrel-fermented Chardonnay

35 kg · 22.5 Brix · 13.1%

Traditional method brut

Traditional method sparkling

35 kg · 18.5 Brix · 11.7%

Picked off the midpoint on purpose

More vinifera white

20-23 Brix

Sauvignon Blanc

Loire and Marlborough

19-24 Brix

Riesling

Mosel and Rheingau

21-24 Brix

Pinot Gris

Alsace and northern Italy

21-26 Brix

Muscat

Everywhere around the Mediterranean

22-26 Brix

Gewurztraminer

Alsace

23-26 Brix

Viognier

Condrieu

20-25 Brix

Chenin Blanc

Loire and South Africa

21-24 Brix

Semillon

Bordeaux and the Hunter Valley