January 26, 2006

Chardonnay

1999 Arrowood Chardonnay Rserve Spciale, Cuve Michel Berthoud
I have never tasted a Chardonnay this complex and rewarding. This Chardonnay’s impeccable balance is marked by this smooth richness of flavor as reflected in its irresistible texture–a flawless creaminess always being accompanied by the supple yet never overwhelming tannin structures which drape nicely around the glass.

Monterey County Chardonnay
2004 Bernardus Monterey County Chardonnay ($20) Balance is the key to this wine, with its red apple, vanilla and toast aromas melding seamlessly with pear, apple, lemon curd and toast flavors. 2002 Carmel Road Arroyo Seco Chardonnay ($35) Yes, you can have richness, bold flavor and elegance in one wine and this Chardonnay pulls it off.

2003 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay Reserve
Enotheque: 2003 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay Reserve Enotheque Wine Reviews This Ferrari-Carano Reserve is yet another spectacular California Chardonnay that I've had the fortune to taste recently.

Simi 2004 Sonoma County Chardonnay
Enotheque: Simi 2004 Sonoma County Chardonnay Enotheque Wine Reviews Whether you want to drink this delicious California Chardonnay by itself (it is most certainly worthy), or maybe you will have a dish with a cream-based sauce to accompany it (use your imagination), this is the most delicious 2004 Chardonnay I have tasted.

Wine Events
"Vines to Wine" educational series at Kendall-Jackson begins with "Chardonnay" on Feb. 11. Menu pairs duck confit with 2003 SyrCab, Sonoma Valley and Dungeness crab risotto with 2004 Chardonnay, Carneros.

2003 Kesner Chardonnay, Hudson Vineyards Carneros, Napa
Working with some of the great Chardonnay producers in the Napa Valley (Kistler, Kongsgaard, Ramey) as Vineyard Manager at Hudson Vineyards, he decided it was his turn to stamp his name on a label. At a little over $70 USD a bottle (including tax and shipping), this isn't a cheap Chardonnay, and one could find many fine White Burgundy and Chablis' at the same price point.

2001 Louis Latour Grand Ardche ChardonnayVin de Pays des Cteaux de lArdche
Made by a premier cru classé producer, whose vineyards boasts vine patches that reach back into the Middle Ages, this Grand Ardèche Chardonnay offers a nose with perfectly discernable lemon curd, vanilla and ripe pear. Suggesting meal pairing options for this masterful Chardonnay is a challenge, given that its flavors are so enjoyable and well balanced that it is spectacular on a stand-alone basis; yet, I would love an artichoke risotto with this–or perhaps a pan-seared red snapper with a tropical fruit salsa.

Woop Woop Australia Chardonnay 2005
Woop Woop Chardonnay 2005 was made by Ben Riggs (Winemaker at Penny's Hill), from Southeastern Australia contract-grown Chardonnay, and imported by Epicurean.

Lincourt Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2004
Lincourt Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2004 is Chardonnay, 86% from Santa Maria Valley (65% Bien Nacido vineyard, 21% Solomon Hills Vineyard), and 14% from Rancho Santa Rosa in the Santa Rita Hills.

Meridian Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2004
Meridian* Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2004 has been released a while, but this new label just arrived, mid-vintage.

Rutherford Ranch Napa Valley Chardonnay 2004
Rutherford Ranch Chardonnay 2004 is blended with other white varietals for increased structure.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay 2003 wine review by (PB)
This Chardonnay is beautiful gold with a spectacular bouquet and nose of–-I kid you not–-Creme Brulee.

Bannockburn Vertical Tasting - Chardonnay, Pinot
The tasting offered 10 wines in each category, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Bannockburn also produce four single vineyard wines, the SRH Chardonnay ($110), the Stuart ($75) and Serre ($120) Pinot Noir and the Range Shiraz ($55).

Thompson Estate Chardonnay 2003

Good wine doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag
One thing I need is the Domaine Talmard, 2003 Macon-Chardonnay, $10. Now, indeed it is chardonnay, but the grapes that make up this wine actually come from the village of Chardonnay.

Brisbane Courier Mail
The Courier-Mail: Run your car on chardonnay why not? Leaded or unleaded petrol could be laced with ethanol produced from excess chardonnay or pinot noir, according to Granite Belt wine grower Angelo Puglisi.

Reviews: Cape Campbell Limited Edition Reserv...

Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay
2003 Beauregard Trout Gulch Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay ($25) Here is a wine for those who love their Chardonnays unctuous and oaky. 2002 Byington Quennevillle Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay ($26) The nose offers toast, spice and mineral notes, with a hint of green herb.

Go nutty over Chardonnay and Italian-style chicken
California Chardonnay can be a challenge for food. Because of this intensity, Chardonnay pairs best with food that doesn't fight it, but attempts to match its richness and personality.

A Tale of 2 Chardonnays
In my opinion, they are one of the top tier producers of Chardonnay in California.

2005 Finca El Portillo Chardonnay
The 2005 Finca El Portillo Chardonnay, from Bodegas Salentein, is clean and crisp, with no oak aging, and lovely pear and apple flavors. This means only stainless steel on the chardonnay, no oak aging at all.

winter whites, sleek reds
Another overachieving white, the 2004 Casa Lapostolle Casablanca Valley Chardonnay ($10), shares a similar French lineage. Though partially fermented and aged in oak barrels, this Chardonnay's ripe, oaky character is tempered by a zesty quality because the grapes were grown in Chile's cool, coastal Casablanca Valley.

Good wine doesnt have to come with a hefty price tag
One thing I need is the Domaine Talmard, 2003 Macon-Chardonnay, $10. Now, indeed it is chardonnay, but the grapes that make up this wine actually come from the village of Chardonnay.

PASTA WINE
But I gotta think it would be twice that if I didn't love my angel hair and chardonnay so damn much.

Winecast 44 The Big Three Whites
I taste the Big Three Whites, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay live on the show and invite listeners to taste these wines as they listen.

Architect crafts European-style wines at Godspeed
His 1,200-case winery produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines designed to be food-friendly and age-worthy. According to Canadian-born and Los Angeles area-raised Stricker, the vineyard is almost equally divided between Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Many names for chardonnay
If you're just looking for the punch line, though, it's all just chardonnay. Most of the white Burgundy you'll find on store shelves ranges from $15 to $35 a bottle, and while the cost is comparable to American chardonnay, the flavor can be refreshingly different.

QA with the man whos buying the wine world
Because Estancia was primarily a Chardonnay brand and Monterey-based, it could not demand the price that Alexander Valley Cabernet could and should get.

Valley’s ripe with inexpensive delights
Checking the wine rack at the east Medford Bi-Mart recently, I saw Bridgeviews 2002 Cabernet-Merlot, 2002 Chardonnay, and 2004 Gewurztraminer, each for 7.49. Valley Views Chardonnay is harder to find below the 10 mark, but two of its older reds, 2001 Merlot (8.39) and 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon (6.99), are still out there.Similar prices are usually the case at stores like Food 4 Less and Winco.

Charles Olkens Connoisseurs Corner: Russian River
One would not think that an area so perfectly suited to cold-weather varieties like pinot noir and chardonnay could also make good zinfandel, but that is just what happens. Sometimes it is only a matter of a sheltered hillside, while for other grapes, and to some great surprise, zin can flourish alongside pinot and chardonnay in the Russian River Valley.

Making wine in a hostile climate
They have also planted chardonnay, and, notably, a bit of syrah too, though the temperature is too cool for grapes like cabernet sauvignon and merlot. "AVAs are pretty useless," said Ted Lemon, who makes pinot noir and chardonnay under the Littorai label.

The Opera Grapevine: Beyond the Chardonnay
Chardonnay, wine lovers will tell you, is a very pernicious wine, embodying all the evils of commercialization, globalization and the banality of contemporary taste. Chardonnay is everywhere, and everywhere it is oaky, creamy, smooth and undistinguished.

Delicate crab needs a light touch and a sleek Chardonnay
Chardonnay from Monterey County makes a perfect partner.

The big gulp
Gallo spokesman Tim McDonald says, "Large retailers want to have a Cabernet or Chardonnay or Merlot that nobody else has," and his company is large enough to create retailer-specific brands like Winking Owl for them. Ken Brown founded Byron Vineyard and Winery, a high-end Pinot Noir and Chardonnay specialist in Santa Barbara County, in 1984.

Whats in a name? A lot where wine is concerned
"The style depends on the location -- we couldn't make chardonnay like (those in) the Russian River Valley." His winery is in the Alexander Valley appellation. Sonoma County has cooler climates toward the west (near the ocean) and to the north, and varietals such as pinot noir and chardonnay grow well there, while the areas toward the east and south tend to be warmer, and varietals lean toward the standard Bordeaux grapes.

The prince of pinot noir
Examples include blending chardonnay with pinot blanc; making luscious low alcohol riesling and attempting, against the odds, to move pinot gris beyond boring.

Wines for Thanksgiving
A wine to go with roast turkey is easy enough: go with a mild-to-medium-bodied red, such as a Pinot Noir from Burgundy, or try a full-flavored white, such as a white Burgundy, a Califoakian Chardonnay, or a Pinot Gris from Alsace.

Ode to the Russian River Valley
Lewis has won its fair share of accolades from me over the years, and this head-turning chardonnay only adds to its many successes. One would not think that an area so perfectly suited to cold-weather varieties like pinot noir and chardonnay could also make good zinfandel, but that is just what happens.

Savvy Living - Jan. 26, 2006
The Finger Lakes are best known for their world-class Rieslings, but with a cool grape-growing climate, the region is well suited for other classic varieties, chardonnay included. This bottling–a good value at $13–is a nice example of cool-weather chardonnay.

Best of 2005 Wine, Food, Travel

Coming Up - Weekly calendar of events
Titus Vineyards will pour red wines and Chappelet Winery and Vineyards will pour chardonnay.

Southern Wine Journal
A rich and intense wine but not a blockbuster. The relatively light colour gives no hint of the powerful melon fruit and vanilla oak that dominate the...