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The word is Flemish for "tongue".

TONG N°11
Chardonnay

Chardonnay has always been under attack, especially in Europe, for reasons familiar to many wine lovers. But the traditional image no longer holds true. While white Burgundy faces an identity crisis, Australian Chardonnay is finding its way back on stage with lean, mineral Chablis-like wines from lesser-known cool climates like Orange and Tumbarumba. These wines are slowly earning a reputation in Europe, mainly due to the new worldwide preference for more refined and clear wine styles. Sauvignon Blanc and to a lesser extent Riesling have clearly paved the path for modern Chardonnay. Big New World producers like Yellow Tail have changed their packaging from white bottles and luscious golden labels to green bottles and plainer labels in which green predominates. It is no longer in Burgundy that the most interesting Chardonnays are produced these days.

Content
 

White Burgundy's identity crisis
About good and bad winemaking in Chardonnay's cradle
by Clive Coates MW
 
The problem of premox
The causes for prematurely oxidised white Burgundy scientifically explained
by Arne Ronold MW
 
Line, length, texture, detail
Modern Australian Chardonnay
by Justin Knock MW
 
From Dijon to Mendoza
Chardonnay's clones
by Louisa Rose
 
Chardonnay around the world
A snapshot of regional taste profiles
by Michelle Cherutti-Kowal
 
Clive Coates MW
Clive Coates MW is a world expert on Burgundy. He lives in the region and knows practically all the growers there. In 2008, he revised his seminal "Côte d'Or: A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy" under the new title "The Wines of Burgundy". It is still considered the "Bible of Burgundy". Coates published his fine wine magazine "The Vine" from 1984 to 2005. His website www.clive-coates.com features news from Burgundy, vintage reports and the results of comprehensive tastings. Access is free.

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Arne Ronold MW
Arne Ronold is founding editor of the Norwegian wine magazine Vinforum (since 1986) and was the first Master of Wine (1993) from the Nordic countries. He is responsible for running the Wine & Spirit Education Trust courses in Norway, and lectures regularly on wine in many other European countries. Arne is also the author of numerous books about wine and is considered an expert on wines from Austria, Burgundy, Germany and Italy.

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Justin Knock MW
Australian Justin Knock MW has a free-lance wine business based in London that consults on wine production, blending and adapting wines for sale in the European market. He spent five years working as winemaker in regions across Australia in the early 2000s and has made wine in France and Spain. For three years he was the European-based winemaker for the Australian conglomerate Southcorp for whom he travelled throughout Europe and the Middle East building educational tools and marketing strategies for the company's Australian brands. Knock became a Master of Wine in 2010 and has a Pinot Noir project in Australia's Yarra Valley.

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Louisa Rose
Louisa Rose is the chief winemaker at Yalumba, Australia's oldest family-owned winery. She has completed 20 vintages at Yalumba, based in the Eden Valley (Barossa) and has worked with the development of a number of varieties and wine styles including Chardonnay.

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Michelle Cherutti-Kowal
Canadian Michelle Cherutti-Kowal lives in London. Through her company, Wine Affairs, she runs consumer wine tasting programs and lectures to wine industry professionals for corporate clients. She is a Chair Judge and member of the Technical Committee for the International Wine and Spirits Competition and has judged several other international competitions including the International Wine Challenge, South Africa's Veritas Awards and the ABSA Pinotage Top Ten Competition and Roussillon's Saint-Bacchus Awards. Michelle is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers and the Association of Wine Educators and is currently a Master of Wine student. She passed the practical part of the exam in 2011.

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