chardonel Archives - St. James Winery

Wine of the Week: Chardonel

In celebration of April being Chardonel month, our wine of the week is 2015 Chardonel!

From our Podium Series, 2015 Chardonel is soft and creamy, yet extremely rich and complex. Fermented and aged in oak barrels, this golden, dry white wine has depth, texture, richness, integrity and features fragrant aromas of vanilla, pear, pineapple and apricot.

See the handy Chardonel and Food Pairing infographic from Missouri Wines for inspiration on what food goes best with this wine.

Chardonel grapes, a cross between Seyval and Chardonnay, were created in 1953 in the hopes of producing a grape that could withstand the cold like Seyval, but possessed a similar character as Chardonnay. Its high productivity and durability to frigid weather makes Chardonel ideal for growing in Missouri!

The Podium Series is a collection of innovative wines that reflect our winemaking creativity. Handcrafted in small lots, and created in celebration of wine, our 2015 Chardonel is exclusively available in the St. James Winery Tasting Room. You can also reach out to our friendly customer service team at 800-280-9463 for information on ordering a bottle (or two!).

April 13, 2018/by CurlyHost

Harvest 2012 Wrap-up

harvest, press release, st. james winery

Harvest 2012 is has proven to be one for the record books.

In all the years St. James Winery has been in operation, no one can ever remember harvest beginning in July, but thanks to very hot summer temperatures, the grapes were really on the grow.

Usually at the end of August, harvest crews would still be in the thick of things, but because an early start means an early finish, harvest 2012 is really winding down. The only grapes remaining in the vineyard are a few Chardonel grapes and, of course, the Norton, which always takes its good sweet time to ripen.

What does the harvest look like so far?

Around 1,200 tons of grapes — including Seyval, Niagara, Cayuga, Rougeon, Chambourcin, Valvin Muscat, Vignoles, Catawba, Chardonel, Concord — have hit the crush pad. We expect the Norton to be ready very, very soon.

Everyone in Missouri has complained about the heat and drought this summer (did we mention it’s was brutally hot here?), but because the vineyards are irrigated, the lack of rainfall was not problematic.

There was, however, another side effect to the drought. The minimal rains paired with our carefully controlled watering meant less disease pressure on the vines. There were fewer insects, and the rot issues which can arise with too much rain were non-existent.

Everyone on the winemaking staff is thrilled with the exceptional grape quality and outstanding flavor profiles, so we’re already looking forward to the third Thursday in November (the 15th this year!) when we release our 2012 Nouveau — a first taste of this season’s harvest!

August 28, 2012/by CurlyHost

Twenty-One a Lucky Number for St. James Winery

awards, press release

If St. James Winery were playing blackjack, it would have definitely come up a winner at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition by hitting 21! Twenty-one bottles of wine were shipped from St. James, Missouri to California for the competition, and when it was all said and done, each one of those bottles came home with a medal.

At this kick-off competition for the 2012 wine judging season, two of St. James Winery’s wines were honored with Best of Class Awards: Best of Class for Red Native American went to the 2009 Cynthiana, and Best of Class for Fruits went to St. James Winery’s Raspberry. The good news continued with gold medals for 2010 Seyval and Strawberry.

St. James Winery also received silver medals for its 2010 Traminette, 2010 Chardonel, 2010 Vignoles, Velvet White, Friendship School White, Blackberry, Peach, and Cherry, bringing the total of silver medals to eight. Rounding out the award-winning entries were nine bronze medals, which went to 2008 Norton, 2009 Chambourcin, Riesling, Velvet Red, Friendship School Red, Country Red, Country White, Pink Catawba, and Blueberry.

“When you send wine to a major competition like the one in San Francisco, and every single bottle comes back home with a medal,” said Peter Hofherr, CEO of St. James Winery, “that’s just a great way to start a new year! Especially when you consider that our wines were among 5,500 wines entered. This year San Francisco set a new American wine competition record for entries, and it’s the ninth consecutive year it will rank as the “Largest Competition of American Wines in the World. So, winning in San Francisco is big news!”

St. James Winery is the largest and most awarded winery in Missouri. During the 2011 competition season, St. James Winery’s won a total of nine Best of Class, five double gold, and 42 gold medals, along with 126 silver and 76 bronze medals. Celebrating more than 40 years as a family owned and operated winery, St. James Winery wines are sold in stores throughout the Midwest and the South. St. James Winery is online at www.stjameswinery.com.

January 12, 2012/by CurlyHost

Chardonel

January 3, 2018/by CurlyHost

Sauvignon Blanc

December 18, 2015/by CurlyHost

Tag Archive for: chardonel

Wine of the Week: Chardonel

Harvest 2012 Wrap-up

Twenty-One a Lucky Number for St. James Winery

Tag Archive for: chardonel

Chardonel

Sauvignon Blanc

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