The Wine Fairy

Total Wine’s West Plano classroom holds 40 people. It’s usually stuffed to the rafters with eager wine learners. But on a recent Thursday evening, only about a dozen folks showed up for “So Many Ways to Chardonnay.”

Maybe it was the bout of late-spring thundershowers keeping people away. But more likely, it was another sign of how low Chardonnay’s stock has fallen.

Despite the wine industry’s multi-decade attempt to rebrand Chardonnay as something refreshing and terroir-driven, results have been mixed. Many drinkers still associate Chard with the over-oaked and boozy California styles from the 1990s and stay far away. The ABC Club (“anything but Chardonnay”) is apparently still going strong.

Oh well, more Chardonnay for me! (I still love you, Chardonnay…I don’t care what people say about you.)

Total Wine‘s Chardonnay class–while it may not be enough to restore Chard’s status–is a breezy exploration of the winemaking possibilities of the “Queen of Grapes.” From Champagne and Chablis to new wineries in Argentina, the goal was to introduce us to wines we might not even think of when someone says “Chardonnay.”

I’ve been to dozens of Total Wine’s classes at my local West Plano store and I’ve written about some of them in previous blog posts. In my area, they are offered a few times a month. (Except for the last six weeks of the year–that’s when the store is busy with holiday shoppers and the booze sells itself.) Most Total Wine classes are complimentary with Grand Reserve rewards status, $10 for Reserve members, or $20 per person for the general public.

Each class follows an approximately 90-minute format that combines a lecture/slideshow with breaks for tasting and a little bit of discussion. You try a whole slate of wines–usually eight or nine of them, always chosen from among Total Wine’s Winery Direct labels. Most wines are in the $15-$50 range (the sweet spot for hosting or gifting).

In my recent (April 24) class, assistant manager Jules was leading our small but hearty group of wine lovers. We helped ourselves to some fruit and cheese, and then tasted through eight Chardonnays representing a variety of styles and regions. Jules gave us an overview of the world wine regions where Chardonnay is grown (hint: all of them). We also discussed the major winemaking decisions that affect the wine’s final taste.

Overall, I think Total Wine’s classes strike a good balance between a schoolroom-like info sesh and a chug-a-lug wine-tasting party. Some people are there to get a buzz–and the staff know it–but it’d be hard to get through class without picking up some nugget of information that will enhance your wine knowledge.

The class materials are beginner-friendly while also providing tidbits that are of interest to more seasoned wine students. I especially enjoy the take-home booklet that is provided with each class. Full of maps, diagrams, and tips for tasting, it’s ideal for recording brief notes and revisiting the concepts that were covered in class.

“So Many Ways to Chardonnay” is my favorite kind of wine tasting–the kind that focuses on wines from a single varietal or region. Drinking them side-by-side really highlights the subtle differences between climates and maturation choices. While nothing here stood out to me as a must-buy, I thought this month’s wines were overall a lot stronger than those presented in February’s “California Uncorked” class.

The Wines

Here are my tasting notes from “So Many Ways to Chardonnay.” Prices are Total Wine’s base price–discounts are usually available in-store and in the app.

De Saint-Gall Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut Champagne (France) – $44.99

Raw biscuit dough, baked apple, lemon, shortbread, candied orange peel. Crisp and dry, with coarse bubbles, and a short sour-apple finish. A tasty Blanc de Blancs, but not that exciting for the price. ⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)

River Road Unoaked Chardonnay 2023 (Russian River Valley, California) – $14.99

Off-dry, bland and joyless Chard. Why do we hate oak again? Baby-wipe florals, canned peach, and watery pears. Sounds dire, I know–but it’s still better than the “Reserve” version of the Unoaked Chardonnay I tried in February. ⭐⭐

Domaine Chenevieres Chablis 2021 (France) – $26.99

Green apple, lemon zest, grapefruit, and clean minerality. A plain and simple value-priced Chablis that’s begging for a seafood dinner to bring it to life. ⭐⭐1/2

Gabrielle Vivien Chablis 2022 (France) – $29.99

A fruitier, more structured Chablis that drinks like a Mâconnais. This is my preferred style of French Chardonnay and the first wine in this lineup that I’d be excited to drink again. White peaches, ripe pear, honeysuckle, pinch of sea salt, medium body. Nice! ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Edouard Delaunay Septembre Bourgogne Blanc 2022 (France) – $24.99

Oof, not much happening on the nose. Neutral flavors of creamy vanilla and sliced apple. Low-ish alcohol, weak acidity. If this is Burgundian subtlety, it just went over my head. ⭐⭐

Olema California Chardonnay 2022 (Sonoma County) – $15.99

Pear and golden apple aromas shine with a tasteful tinge of oak. On the palate, there’s some savory apple skins, balanced sweetness/acidity, and medium-full body. This one wins the value award, ringing up at under $16. It’s a really good buy if you like restrained-yet-structured, food-friendly Chardonnay at a non-Burgundy price. ⭐⭐⭐

Altaland Mendoza Chardonnay (Argentina) – $19.99

Total Wine is known for sourcing exciting and affordable bottles from Argentina, and this is one of them. It’s aromatic, layered, and anything but boring. Pineapple, papaya, vanilla, toasty oak followed up with a taste of dry oak lumber. Spicy notes of ginger and clove. (Of everything we tasted in class, this was my favorite way to Chardonnay.) ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Plow & Stars Chardonnay 2022 (Napa, California) – $37.99

Wine sellers are swerving away so hard from the Cali butter bomb, Total Wine didn’t even include one in their Chardonnay lineup. (Hold the buttered popcorn and Popsicle sticks, please!) This is the closest thing to that style that we tasted–a dessert-worthy confection of tropical fruit, custard, and toast. Golden pineapple, yellow bundt cake, almond, caramelized marshmallow. And despite its rich flavors, it’s not too sweet. (But sadly, neither is the price.) ⭐⭐⭐

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. (Except as a Total Wine membership perk as described above.) Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.