[originally posted on TableauVivante]

Galileo said that wine is sunlight, held together by water. For a Renaissance Italian that may have been a paean to Pinot Grigio but in this more Golden State, it goes to a more golden grape. I’m talking about Chardonnay.

With Chardonnay, more so perhaps than with any other varietal, drinkers are divided into two main camps, each preferring a different style.

Camp One prefers a cooler weather wine that produces a paler almost straw-like color, a crisper more acidic texture, and greener fruits. Fermentation is done exclusively in stainless steel. As it is typical of some of the finer French Chardonnays, this style is sometimes referred to as Burgundian.

Camp Two relishes what warmer weather can do. Think tropical stone fruits, a soft introduction, plush mouth feel, and the visual resonance of liquid gold. Oak is de rigueur as is the secondary process of malolactic fermentation, respectively providing that signature buttery finish and viscous, full-bodied texture of what some have dubbed the Napa style.

They are markedly dissimilar, to the extent that it is a reflection of the winemaker’s skill and a tribute to terroir. Between the two camps, there is even something of a rivalry. But don’t let the Francophiles fool you, one style is not more sophisticated or complex than the other. It’s just a matter of taste. And that oaked Napa fruit bomb in your bottle makes for a damn good drink.

For my money, if I want crisp, green, and pale there are a thousand serviceable Sauvignon Blancs to choose from. Maybe even a Riesling. But if the dish you’re devouring is awash in butter and heavy cream, then come on over to California and pitch your tent in Camp Two.

I went to The Wine House and made inquiries. What I selected was a flight of four Camp Two chards in a range of prices. To compare these contestants, I whipped up a batch of my, somewhat expediently named, SpinachTomatoBacon pasta.

I sometimes feel that food-wine pairings can be the stuff of alchemy, but it’s a dead giveaway when wine is what you’re working with. STB pasta is the love child of an intimacy with ingredients garnered from Giuliano Hazan’s Classic Pasta Cookbook and my own ongoing affair with the noodle. In this case, the recipe calls for a goodly amount of Chardonnay so I knew it would work.

And for this experiment, I brought my A-game: only market fresh ingredients (of course) and thick-cut bacon. I even acquired Napa Style’s Chardonnay & Oak Smoked salt. It’s certified organic gray salt that’s been smoked with the oak staves of barrels once used to age fine Chardonnay. Honestly? I’m usually not anywhere near this fabulous. I do it for you people, okay? I’m just saying.

First up was the 2004 Samantha Star Reserve Cuvée from Monterey County ($10.99). It was a refreshing mix of citrus and tropical fruits with a clean finish. Oak was modest. Overall it went nicely with the pasta and had enough acidity to stand up to a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

Against that I simultaneously tasted a 2004 Keller Estate chard, the La Cruz Vineyard bottling from the Sonoma Coast ($23.99). Back and forth between two glasses I sipped, struggling to discern a difference. Eventually I decided, reluctantly, that the Keller Estate might have been a teensy bit softer than the Samantha Star. But in all other respects, the two wines were clones of each other. At less than half the price of its more expensive twin, the Samantha Star was all the more a value.

STB pasta makes a great leftover. All those flavors just keep soaking in. So, a few days later I ran the second pair of my fermented foursome through the review. Rombauer’s 2005 chard from the Carneros region at the southern tip of Napa Valley ($29.99) rewarded my sniffing with a nose full of tropical fruits laced with vanilla. To my tongue it said bright, but softer, citrus like tangelos and nectarines. A generous oaking lingered on the finish like custard. This was mouth-filling flavor.

The 2005 Lewis chard from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma ($41.99) was even softer, perhaps too soft. Malolactic overdrive. The nose teased with spiced fruits but the palate gave only the gentlest of stuff, something like passion fruit or mango. When those were gone, melted butter lingered on and on. It was a smooth, easy drinker to be sure. But side by side with Rombauer, the Lewis just seemed to lack sincerity. Each swallow was like washing down a cotton ball lozenge. It was that soft.

Rombauer remains the best Chardonnay I have tasted at any price. When I asked for it at The Wine House, the slim blonde salesman answered me with his deadpan British accent. “Ah, yes. We get people in here asking for it literally with the shakes. It’s the heroin they put in it.” I just stared at him. “Right,” he said and whisked himself down an aisle of light green bottles glinting in the overhead lights. “You’ll find it over here.”

For an everyday drinker at almost a third the price, Samantha Star is the value option to beat. For that special occasion or bottle to impress, Irma Rombauer's great grandson is your man.

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SpinachTomatoBacon Pasta by Inspector Vino

1 lb. thick cut bacon, cut into ¼” strips crosswise
4 large tomatoes, peeled and seeded
5 large mushrooms, minced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 bundles of raw spinach, stems trimmed, rinsed
1 lb. linguini
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tblsps butter
1 tblsp chopped parsely
¾ cup Chardonnay
½ cup grated parmesan
salt
pepper

Slice and render the bacon until crispy. Pour off grease and set aside.

With medium heat, sizzle garlic in butter until it begins to brown. Add onions. Sautée until edges become translucent. Add mushrooms, wine, bacon, and parsley. Use high heat to boil off alcohol and reduce to about half. Peel and seed the tomatoes. It’s a bitof extra work, but worth it. You want just the flesh. Add tomatoes and simmer covered until they just begin to deconstitute into sauce.

Boil water with salt and add pasta when rolling. When al dente, stir in the raw spinach and immediately remove from heat. Drain and return to pot, adding sauce and stirring in parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!