Chardonnay

Last week we tasted two Chardonnays here at the store.  Ridge Crest from Claar Cellars of Washington State was an exceptional $12.99 offering and reminded me of the Jardin Del Sol Chilean from a week earlier in that they were both unoaked and very fresh tasting.  The other Chardonnay from last week was one I didn't even know was Chardonnay until my piddling research today prompted this blogpost.  That one was Podere del Giuggiolo, a Tuscan white that is in fact 100% unoaked Chardonnay also.  Like most Europeans, that one needs food.

So rather than get too academic on the Chardonnay subject, lets stay current.  I just surveyed the store and the inventory seems to include forty to fifty Chardonnays from here, there, and everywhere around the globe.  They range in price from $5 to $35.  They also range in style from unoaked to heavily oaked.  They also range from the friendly off-dry cocktail variety like Jardin Del Sol to wines like Podere that really need a plate of chicken alfredo to show their best.

Of the unoaked style, Lincourt from California and Nicholas Potel Pouilly Fuisse are our best.  Food affinities would be vegetables and lighter meat dishes with seafood being most ideal.  Both are in the $20 range.

We have two labels in the store that offer both oaked and unoaked Chardonnays: Acacia and Talbott.  Acacia has the higher public profile of the two and I have no doubts about its quality but it's Talbott that I have tasted recently and they really impress.  They retail around $20 also.

Cocktail Chardonnays abound here too with Cartlidge & Browne, Handcraft, and Glory Days covering that turf, all priced in the $12 range.  They are all a little less dry than your average bottle.

Tropical fruit flavors dominate in Peirano Estate ($12) and Cambria Katherine's Vineyard ($22) and in wines from the southern Central Coast area in general.  We also have two from Mt. Eden Vineyards, one of the best producers from Edna Valley.

Of the oaky style we have many in the everyday price range and Rombauer at $35.  Here are a few other options: Robin K ($18), Castoro ($15), Gordon Brothers ($12), and 446 ($10). 

So what is the best Chardonnay for you tonight?  Maybe it's one that is lightly oaked.  A few weeks ago we tasted Reata Carneros ($22) and for my tastes, it was ideal.  The old standby, Schug Sonoma always works too, at ($20).

On Friday April 26th from 5 to 7pm Henry Leung of Hemispheres Fine Wines joins us with a tasting  of Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhone, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Rose, and Bedrock Shebang Red and White Blends from California's North Coast.  Henry is a true wine educator.  Please join us.

On Thursday of next week, May 2nd, Gail Avera of Atlanta Beverage graces our confines with a tasting of Austrians, Germans, and a little Italian Prosecco.  Please join us that evening from 5 to7pm.

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