Still, I long ago decided the variety is rather dimensionally limited, and I suppose that is why it’s been the whipping boy for oak and ML freaks!

I don’t mean to imply that over-oaked bottles of butter, coconut and mango juice have disappeared. They will always be around. But the now-fashionable style of “unoaked” chardonnay at least indicates that producers see a market for leaner, more restrained chardonnays. Some might insist that it’s instead a cynical effort to put the best face on not paying for European oak barrels. I don’t discount that, but at the same time the rising number of non-malolactic chardonnays also indicates a renewed appreciation of more structured, less extravagant wines.