Tag Archives: Chardonnay

Windrun Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Santa Barbara 2013

08 Monday Jun 2015

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windrun chardonnayOvid, the great poet of Latin literature wrote “A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man’s brow”.

Delicacy in wine is similarly fragile. It can be destroyed by excessive ripeness, too much oak, stray oxygen molecules, or chemical manipulation. In fact, in our age of big and bold, delicacy is a rare treat. These two wines from Windrun appear as delicate as a bee wing belying a firm foundation.

The Pinot Noir offers a sheen of floral aromas with unusual mint highlights  mingling with a blend of maraschino and darker cherries. Hints of tea, spice, and hazelnut  play in the background indicating a light Buddha’s touch with the oak. (It is aged in new and used French and American  oak  for 6 months) Not aromatically intense, but subtle and complex, this is a wine to explore. It you swill it you will miss what it has to offer. Dry and slender on the palate, leaving cranberry and rose water impressions, it has balanced acidity and very fine tannins that have surprising persistence. Absolutely fresh and mouth watering—a gossamer robe over sinewy structure.

Stylistically this falls between three stools: More complexity than the pure fruit expression of New Zealand, but without the earthiness and grip of Burgundian Pinot Noir, and certainly avoiding the brawn and bluster of most California samples, Windrun has found its own niche.  A really unique expression of California Pinot Noir. In my judgment that is worth a couple points.

The Chardonnay is very pretty and accessible. Light straw in color, pear, mango, and ginger aromas meld with a stealthy incursion of buttered popcorn, all providing contrast to the wet-stone minerality that leaps from the glass. Crisp and dry on the palate but with pleasing viscosity, the soft, ingratiating acidity announces the medium length finish with a bitter herb note lending interest. One of the new breed of California Chardonnays throwing off their heavily oaked past. Only 50% of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, and it is aged in large, neutral barrels preserving freshness.

Both wines have the character of paradox—delicacy and solidity. And isn’t it paradox that makes wine interesting?

Pinot Noir:

Score: 90

Price: $20

Alc: 14.1%

Chardonnay:

Score:  88

Price: $15

Alc: 13.8%

No one exhibits the paradox of delicacy and solidity better than Joanna Newsome.

Review based on industry samples

Wine Review: Artesa Chardonnay Carneros 2011

19 Monday Jan 2015

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artesa chardArtesa is one of my favorite Napa area wineries. Their Carneros location is gorgeous—you can see San Pablo Bay on a clear day—and their reserve and limited release wines are always worth tasting.  The larger production Signature series is usually consistent and well done. It was an Artesa Pinot Noir that piqued my interest in wine. So I had my usual high expectations when opening this bottle. I was a little disappointed in this 2011 Chardonnay.

intriguing smoke, grilled pineapple and apple sauce aromas of medium intensity waft from the glass.  An enticing nose with enough complexity to hold your interest.  The full-bodied palate is creamy with a little butter, balanced with robust acidity leading to a medium length finish, lightly graced with hazelnuts. Unfortunately the finish turns sour and is disjoint, diminishing the experience. All’s well that ends well; it it doesn’t end well, well….

This one’s a little bittersweet like Ani DiFranco’s Allergic to Water

Score: 88

Price: $18

Alc: 13.8%

Half of the wine was aged in French Oak, 30% new.

Wine Review: Bergstrom Sigrid Chardonnay 2012

03 Monday Nov 2014

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bergstrom chardI’ve been lurking about the Willamette Valley searching for the perfect Pinot—a noble calling although thus far unsuccessful. But what I found instead was this stunning Chardonnay that while, perhaps, falling short of perfection, was head and shoulders above the pretenders to that exalted throne. Reminiscent of the likes of Montrachet, the best that Burgundy has to offer, it suggests Oregonians might rethink their almost total commitment to Pinot Noir.

Flamboyant, yet balanced and full of charm. Bursting with citrus and pear, seductive aromas of hazelnuts mingling with crème fraiche and hints of buttered toast make this a sensuous olfactory orgy. Concentrated and creamy but crisp and agile on the palate, it sees 40% new French oak applied with delicacy and restraint. The finish is long and satisfying with mineral notes coming to the forefront. If you want to splurge on a white wine, without paying Burgundian prices, this would be a good choice.

Although Bergstrom makes lovely Pinot Noir, this Chardonnay, a barrel selection from several vineyards, all from the Dijon clone, is their flagship wine.  They are a mid-sized operation producing about 10,000 cases per year.

Score: 94

Price: $85

Alc: 14.1%

Budget Wine Review: Guenoc Chardonnay 2013 California

25 Friday Jul 2014

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guenocGuenoc is Langtry Estates entry level wine which is now part of the Foley Family stable of wineries. It’s a widely available supermarket wine produced at their Lake County winery using less than 15% estate grapes with the rest coming from various vineyards in California.

This is a straightforward, modern-style, warm-climate Chardonnay, not too oaky, no butter, with tropical fruits and crisp acidity but exceedingly average in quality.

Good intensity on the nose, showing pineapple, baked apple, and lime but with faint medicinal notes if you look for them. Restrained oak notes.

The oak influence is a bit more apparent on the medium-bodied palate which shows some roasted pear, but the flavor disappears mid-palate, overwhelmed by the bite from the acid. A crisp and tangy mouthfeel but dull on the finish as it turns a bit sour. This will work well with salmon or butternut squash soup for dinner but won’t impress as a sipper.

A good bargain if you find the price discounted, which I did at BevMo.

Score: 85

Ave. Price:  $10

Alc: 13.5

Melville Estate Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills 2012

17 Monday Mar 2014

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melville chardA good wine is kinetic, moving about the mouth in undulating waves of  complementary flavors. This Chardonnay from the western side of Santa Rita Hills has that cool weather dynamism that defines the newer breed of California Chardonnay.

Slender and lean but brisk and full of vigor, the Melville has a wonderful evolution on the palate.  Nutmeg and hazelnut succeed fleeting apple flavors until they too give way to swelling tides of minerality, ending in a powerful, persistent finish as satisfying as you will find on a white wine. The nose shows floral notes, sea breeze, and lemon prevailing over the standard roast pear and red apple which appear as background notes.

There is no malolactic fermentation to round off the flavors and the use of neutral oak keeps the vanilla and butter in check. A little steely and uncompromising. Poised, self-possessed and focused without being overly friendly, yet reeking of quality like Lady Mary of Downton Abbey.

I love this wine.

Score: 93/100

Ave. Price: $23

Alc: 14.5

Spellbound Chardonnay 2011 California

01 Monday Jul 2013

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spellbound Nostalgia has a bad rap. Waxing nostalgic makes you look like a has-been, uncomfortable in the present, afraid of the future, prone to an edited past that was never as good as the memories.

As Proust wrote, “Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.”

But there is nothing wrong with a little nostalgic yearning on occasion just to discourage complacency in the present, even if it is a lie.

Drinking this Chardonnay from Robert Mondavi, Jr.’s Spellbound project is like finding an old mixtape while rummaging around the attic. The nose has just enough pineapple and buttered toast to remind you of an earlier self. For fat, buttery Chardonnays dripping with tropical fruit used to be the norm in California. Today, CA winemakers have dialed back the ripe fruit and excessive oak, looking for a leaner, more refreshing experience showing citrus and minerality. I can’t say I’m entirely down with the change. The older style could be overdone and unbalanced at times, but when they were right they were extraordinary.

In fact, the Spellbound is not nearly as blowsy as the standard Chardonnays from the early 2000s. It has plenty of acidity to give it structure, a crisp, citrus-dominant, medium weight palate, and long lemony finish. But what sets this wine apart is the layer of gorgeous ginger that keeps the tropical fruit and butter in check. It was fermented and aged in barriques, except for 10% in stainless steel. Is seriously oaked Chardonnay coming back in style?

The trend toward lean and mean has gone too far. Too many California Chardonnays are ordinary. They risk nothing and fail to show what this grape can do. The Spellbound Chardonnay is a hybrid with roots in California’s past but perhaps a glimpse of its future. A bargain at this price.

The spiciness makes it a versatile food wine. I served it with a Thai-style pork larb (with lime and fish sauce in the dressing) and the pairing was quite successful.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Score: 87/100

Price: $12

Budget Wines: Santa Ema Reserve Chardonnay Casablanca 2009

13 Wednesday Feb 2013

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santa emaThere may be activities in life more important than play. But when we play we are most fully absorbed in our activity and most fully alive. So anyone who brings out the playful in you is doing you a favor.

This Chilean Chardonnay wants to come out and play. Extroverted and frolicsome, red apple leaps from the glass, supported by a firm bed of papaya. Hints of ginger and vanilla provide interest and buttered toast becomes more prominent with some air.

Hearty with some weight yet smooth on the palate with tropical fruit dominating, the medium length finish turns a bit chalky. This is close to an off-dry style—residual sugar is evident but there is plenty of acid to provide balance.

Opened in February of 2013, this has a little age on it and shows some developing secondary flavors. Yet it is still mouthwatering and fresh. There is just enough oak (7 months, French) to provide depth and complexity but it never becomes too prominent.

This is a good as it gets in this price range. A crowd pleasing style and an excellent value. Alcohol: 14%

Score: 89 Pts.

Price: $11

Budget Wines : Three Chardonnays

20 Monday Aug 2012

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The quest for good cheap wine is one of life’s necessities, so we can afford the high quality stuff.

Cycles Gladiator Chardonnay California 2010      $8-$12 cycles gladiator

Standard Chardonnay flavors of apple and pear, medium intensity, with some tropical notes and a seam of minerality that becomes more evident over time. On the palate, hints of buttered popcorn, medium body, a pleasing texture and medium length finish. For an inexpensive wine this has some nicely integrated acidity providing some tang that make this a good food wine. Oak is almost indiscernible.  Alcohol 13.5. Owned by Hahn Family Estates with grapes sourced from Santa Lucia Highlands.

This is a good value especially at the lower end of the price range.

Mad Housewife Chardonnay California Non-vintage   $6-$9       madhousewife chard

Green apple and pear with pleasant floral notes on the nose. On the palate, the fruit becomes more tropical and there is evident residual sugar. Muted spice notes and modest,well-done oak round out the flavors. Medium body but lacks acidity making this wine a bit flabby. 13% alcohol

Sutter Home Chardonnay California 2011 $5-$7    sutter home chard

Some minerality and unripe pear on the nose but aromas lack intensity. Medium minus body with medium acidity and a pleasant texture but the lack of fruit makes this wine seem unbalanced, a bit tart. Not flawed or offensive, drinkable, but there isn’t much here to savor or enjoy. 13% alcohol and modest oak well in the background.  Owned by the Trinchero Family Estates.

Conclusion:

These wines were tasted single blind and the quality levels were apparent. You get what you pay for here. Cycles Gladiator is the best to pair with foods. If you enjoy sweeter wines, clever labeling, and find acidity unpleasant you might like the Mad Housewife. But it will do less for your food than CG. As for the Sutter Home, I wouldn’t seek it out.

Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2009

05 Sunday Aug 2012

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flowers chard One of Samuel Beckett’s characters in The Expelled said,“I have always been amazed at my contemporaries’ lack of finesse, I whose soul writhed from morning to night, in the mere quest of itself.”   Finesse is not always a good thing, especially when in the service of self-abasement.

But, in wine, finesse is always desirable. The Flowers 2009 Chardonnay performs a ballet in the mouth.

Despite its creamy texture it is very light on the palate, even delicate. Red apple, white flowers, walnut, a hint of honey, and lemon flavors dart like a thousand tiny arrows carried by persistent but never biting acidity and refreshing minerality. Subtle toast rounds out the flavor profile and introduces the long citrus-infused finish.

On the Chardonnay spectrum, this one tends toward the cool to moderate weather flavors and restrained but deftly presented oak. Yet it has plenty of power. I paired it with naked crab cakes that struggled to match the wine’s intensity—a saffron alioli would have helped. It was a perfect match for the side dish of swiss chard and caramelized onions—don’t be shy about pairing this with strong flavors.

At around $40 this is not inexpensive, but if you decide to splurge a bit this will not disappoint.

14.2% alcohol. Opened on 8/2/2012.

Good: Finesse

Bad: I can’t find a flaw

Distinctive: Charming use of oak

Bonneau 2009 Chardonnay Los Carneros Catherine’s Vineyard

10 Sunday Jun 2012

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BONN-09CHARD-lbl It used to be that California chardonnays were oak-saturated monsters. Long on alcohol, vanilla and tropical fruit but short on acidity and nuance, they could weigh on the palate like a mouthful of butter. That style seems to be in retreat; every winemaker I talk to insists they are now making chardonnay in a more restrained style—lighter, leaner, and crisp with more citrus flavors, acidity, and less oak, letting the natural flavor of the grape shine through. More often than not these “restrained” wines, while refreshing, are so meager and insipid when it comes to flavor that I find myself longing for the bad old days. Chardonnay is a neutral grape that needs some love and care from an active winemaker who wants to maximize flavor.

Bonneau’s 2009 Chardonnay has a foot in both worlds. Buttered toast dominates but the halo of floral notes is distinctive lending elegance to the vanilla-inflected nose. Grilled pineapple and roasted pear ride an electric, nervy mouthfeel—no shortage of acidity here. Flavors remain vibrant and tangy all the way through the lengthy finish. Complex and nuanced but with plenty of alcoholic power (14.5%), Bonneau seeks both power and elegance and hits the mark.

100% malolactic fermentation, femented and aged sur lie for 10 months in seamlessly integrated French oak (40% new) indicate that this is no let-the-grapes-be experiment.

This is ready to drink now but a couple years in the bottle might produce more integrated acidity.

A big-boned, exhilarating wine.

Good: Intensity of flavors

Bad: The tangy finish can be distracting

Distinctive: Dynamic personality combining power and elegance

$30-$35