Chardonnay B
French appellation
Chardonnay B
Usage
Wine grape variety
Phenology
Bud burst: 1 day before Chasselas.
Grape maturity: early-season, 1 week and a half after Chasselas.
Technological potential
Certified ENTAV-INRA® Chardonnay grapevine is prized for its balance, aromatic intensity, and suitability for still, sparkling and barrel-aged white wines. The bunches and berries are small. This variety has an extremely high-quality potential and is used to produce dry white wines, sparkling wines and even liqueur wines. The sugar content of the berries can reach high levels while maintaining high acidity. This is what enables the production of particularly well balanced, powerful and ample wines (full-bodied and with volume). The typical aromas are complex and intense (dried fruit, hazel nut, grilled flavor, exotic fruit, butter, etc.). Chardonnay is also suited to barrel fermentation and barrel ageing.
Cultural and agronomic skills
Chardonnay is generally pruned long. However, in areas with favorable climatic conditions for floral initiation, vines may also be pruned short. This variety is suited to moderately fertile soils with dominant limestone or marly. Chardonnay is susceptible to powdery mildew and strongly express grapevine yellows. At the end of its maturation and under strong vigor conditions, grey rot may cause significant damage.
Elements of description
The identification is based on:
– the tip of the young shoot with a low to medium density of prostrate hairs,
– the green young leaves with bronze spots,
– the shoots with red internodes,
– the circular adult leaves, entire or with five lobes, with a slightly open petiole sinus, often naked petiole veins, short teeth compared to their width with straight sides, a slightly blistered leaf blade, and on the lower side of the leaves, a low density of erect hairs,
– the round-shaped berries.