Chardonnay

Wine Style:
Chardonnay is from light to medium to fuller-bodied wines. Cooler climate Chardonnays sees an abundance of fruit flavors, especially white fruits. Warmer Chardonnays see lesser fruits, perhaps more honey, vanilla and roasted flavors.

Chablis: Lean, sometimes stony white wine made in the Chablis region at north of Burgundy in Eastern France. Flavors include gunflint and honey. Oysters are considered a classic combination.

Burgundy White: The no. 1 Chardonnay grape many argue (including myself from years of drinking experience) reaches its peak of perfection in Burgundy. Style varies accordingly. Suggested food pairings include Chicken and Sushi and Sashimi (rich fish).

Flavors:

Origin:
Chablis, Burgundy in France

Found:
Most of the rest of the wine growing regions

In the wine world, we can’t run away from seeing and sipping the Big Daddy of White Wine grapes. It is also one of the most widely planted grape varietal in the world.

Like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay can grow just about anywhere. It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or. Burgundy is Chardonnay’s spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

Other popular Chardonnay sites include California (just about everywhere), Oregon, Washington, Other US, Australia, South Africa, South America and New Zealand.

Chardonnay varies greatly with climate, soil and winemaking - but it adapts just about anywhere, which is what makes it so popular. Cooler climates like New Zealand and Chablis lead to crisp, acid-prone wines, while warmer climates like Southern California and Australia foster riper grapes that create heavier wine leaning towards tropical fruit flavors. So specific are the soils of Burgundy, the wines of the region show subtle notes of mineral and chalk that belie their origin. Chardonnay adapts itself to oak very well, as one may taste in many of the wines.

Further Reading:
Wikipedia
Wine Pros
About.com
Appellation America
Cellar Notes
Content Mart