03 Thursday Dec 2020
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$15, 5 stars, 90 points, california, chardonnay, sonoma county
Golden yellow with apple and pineapple on the nose. On the palate- yellow apple, marzipan, pineapple and green melon. Low levels of acidity make for a full mouthfeel. It’s a very nice wine that doesn’t rely on loads of oak, rather it leans on warm fruits, lithe acidity and good length. 90 points. Enjoy with warm goat cheese salad. Drink till 2024. For about $15 it’s worth stocking up on as it gets 5 stars. Salut….
27 Friday Nov 2020
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Pale yellow with a combo of medium and large bubbles. On the nose l get biscuits, some green apple and grapefruit. The palate is medium dry with good fizz. Yellow apples, a touch of citrus and more of that biscuit flavor all meld nicely with the bubbles on the palate. The wine lacks any serious acidity but it drinks nicely at our Thanksgiving brunch. 87 points and 4 stars for this $13 quaffer. Makes a great Mimosa btw. Salut….
09 Monday Nov 2020
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$25, 5 stars, 92 points, alexander valley, california, chardonnay, VWTC
The 11th Virtual Wine tasting opened up with this Chardonnay from California. Tasted at room temperature first it gave the tasters: Butter, vanilla, buttered popcorn. Butterscotch. Honeysuckle, floral. Orange blossom. On the palate- Waxy, caramel, pear, Medium length with a pleasant finish.
The chilled version got passion fruit, green apple, toast, ‘crisper’, buttery, star fruit. On the palate: hazelnut, slightly bitter on the finish, like grapefruit. Pith of lemon from our MD friend. Lemon drop, not too sweet. Butterscotch. Full bodied with just a smidge of acidity.
For me this wine was delicious on day 1 and even better the following night. I preferred it at room temperature when we first tasted but the chilled bottle was even more impressive on night 2. 92 points from me which coincides with the pros. For $25 it’s a nice, rich Chardonnay that delivers complexity and gets 5 stars from me. Think grilled Salmon or Salad Nićoise with this one. Drink till 2027. Salut….
14 Monday Sep 2020
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This Russian River Valley Chard has a beautiful gold sheen to it. The nose is floral and full of citrus. Lemons, lime and vanilla bean all hit me. On the palate it is very rich and warm. The citrus theme continues but I note popcorn and honeysuckle join the fray. The mid palate is full bodied with a nice mouthfeel. I am enjoying the citrus without too much acidic cut. I was looking forward to a somewhat fuller wine and this one hits all the notes. The finish is crisp and clean with a core of marzipan to go alongside the refreshing fruit flavors of lemon, lime and green apple. Judicious oak use is noted and appreciated. I am pan searing some King Salmon to go with Battata Harra, a spicy Middle Eastern potato dish- I think the weight of this Chardy will go well with the fish and stand up to the fiery spices of the side dish. 91 points from me and 5 stars for this $16 wine. Drink till 2028. Salut….
23 Sunday Aug 2020
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$14, 5 stars, 91 points, california, chardonnay, santa barbara
It’s got a really bright yellow/gold color in the glass. The nose has butterscotch, green apple and melon. The palate is full bodied with a nice round mouthfeel. Apples, pear and some lemon interlaced with a touch of acidity open up for me on the palate. The mid palate is very smooth with more of the same flavors coming forth. I get some nutty notes and caramel on the back end along with the pear and apple melange. It’s quite a complex wine, punching way above its $14 price point. I am thoroughly enjoying it. The mouthfeel is great, the fruit is prominent, the acidity is apparent without cutting too much and the whole package rolls off the palate very nicely. 91 points from me and a 5 stars for sure. If you like Chardonnay, stock up on this one. Drink till 2024. Salut….
12 Sunday Jul 2020
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$40, 4 stars, 91 points, burgundy, chardonnay, pouilly-fuise
This is the second go at this Pouilly-Fuissé. It is tasty as before and has evolved somewhat with new flavors evident.
Light gold in the glass. Pineapple, white peach and honeycomb on the nose. The palate is round with notes of almond, pineapple, melon and that honey twist. The mid palate is plump with nice honeyed tones, some lemon marmalade, a waxy component and lanolin. The finish is quite long and pleasing. There is a touch of lingering acidity but it doesn’t cut, the rounder mouthfeel is evident and very pleasant. It lacks much minerality, focusing more on fruit flavors with a touch of wood influence. 91 points and for $40, a great intro to Burgundy and the hallowed Chardonnay. Drink this 4 star effort till 2027. Salut….
20 Wednesday May 2020
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$20, 5 stars, 91 points, california, chardonnay, sonoma coast, VWTC
This was the first wine of my Second Lockdown Virtual Tasting. It was the only white in the lineup, so it had to be a Chardonnay from California. I instructed everyone to chill half the bottle and reserve the other half at room temperature. We were going to do an experiment.
The wine is a nice golden color in the glass. The nose of the chilled wine had pear, apple and citrus notes. On the palate it followed the theme with some nice acidity. The finish was decent in length and showed off that Apple/pear combo nicely. I had researched whether this wine had undergone Malolactic fermentation but could not find proof from any literature, except to assume it had as the winery mentioned one other Chard in their portfolio that specifically did not go through Malo. The wine was quite sharp and lacked the telltale butter notes of the secondary fermentation, I’m baffled.
Anyways- we then tried the same wine at room temp. Huge differences with flavors and mouthfeel. The experiment worked, the point being that most pros taste whites at room temperature and we needed to see the differences. Besides the fuller body it included less citrus, more pear and apple, alongside a touch of baking spices. The wine drank beautifully for me and I gave it 91 points. I would pair it with summer salad, prawn cocktail or blackened Salmon and drink till 2026. $20 gets it 5 stars. Salut….
28 Tuesday Apr 2020
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A medium shade of yellow in the glass. Pears, citrus and wildflower nectar greet me on the nose. A very fresh and yet layered first impression. On the palate it is a touch buttery, which I like as it’s not overdone. Crisp acidity from lemon, some Bartlett pear and a green melon all hit me on the palate. It’s got a really nice balance between the acidity and bold fruity flavors. The mid-palate is a very linear channel to the finish. It simply carries the same flavors and allows the juiciness to permeate the whole palate. The finish is long, tasty and refreshing. There is an abundance of fruit on the back end that carries that lemony component and introduces some oak influence- vanilla and popcorn. I like the way this wine teases the palate with some hints of big time oak but waits until the very end to actually show some of it off, interesting indeed. I really like this wine, it’s relatively lightweight to drink by itself but I would pair it with Cobb salad, Blackened Salmon or grilled veggies. 90 points from me and 5 stars for this $16 rocker. Drink till 2024. Salut….
02 Monday Mar 2020
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Very pale yellow in the glass, but interesting to look at. The nose has lemon zest, walnuts, . The palate is fresh, not cutting. I get a citrus component and pineapple. It’s very tasty and easy to drink. The mouthfeel is light and bright, not much acidity and no cloying oak. It’s a wine made for easy foods, appetizers or a poolside quaff. 88 points but a real treat at $14. 3 stars. Salut..
05 Thursday Dec 2019
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Bright yellow/gold in the glass, a stunning color. On the nose- creme brûlée, yellow apple, almond shavings… super complex. The palate brings me back to reality. Apple, pineapple and a nice acidic bite transition me to a midpalate of waxy apple, nutmeg and pineapple. The finish has me wondering what is making my gums feel dry. Acidity is on pointe and the creme brûlée reappears. Fantastic wine. 93 points and for $55 I have to go with 5 stars. It’s not for everyday, cellar a bottle or two and open on a special occasion- mine was Thanksgiving. Salut….
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