Chardonnay

Rivers Marie is more known for their Pinot's and Cab's but they make a tremendous Chardonnay as well.  It does have some oak showing but its use is deft and all but the most oakaphobes among us should LOVE this wine.  The 2016 is still a bit young but is drinking very well.  These wines seem to age pretty well, but the truth is, i rarely am disciplined enough to let mine age.  Yellow gold in color.  The nose has lemons, vanilla and slight sawdust.  On the palate, this is like a slightly sweet/sour lemon candy with a touch of vanilla.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This particular bottle was

This was a worrisome bottle.  The top was sticky due to a leaking cork.  On opening, the cork was a mess and had leaked and apparently self sealed at some point.  Still, the underlying wine was excellent.  Light golden in color.  The nose has green apples, slight lemon custard and hints of vanilla.  On the palate, this has a creamy texture but sharp acidity.  Nice lemon fruit with some vanilla.  Slight tannins.  Long finish.  Drinks like a wine I would expect from the Sonoma Coast.  No idea how the leaking cork affected the development of this wine.  Will work great with veggies and spicy f

Rhys is one of my favorite wines and this particular bottle was opened at a dinner alongside an Aubert and a Marcassin from the same vintage.  It was interesting for a few reasons.  It really demonstrated the "Burgundyness" of the Rhys wines.  It also showed that Rhys can hold its own against the best Chardonnays California produces.  It has a silvery green/gold color.  The nose has nice lemon cream and vanilla with underlying minerality.  Great mouthfeel and texture.  On the palate, the lemon cream with a touch of vanilla comes thru.  With air some green apple notes emerge.  Great balance.

This wine took a long time to open up and was still improving four hours later when retasted at the end of the night.  The first impression score was maybe a 90 and eventually it got up to 99.  Really impressive but if opening, give it air or time.  Medium deep golden in color.  The nose has oak, vanilla and lemon.  With air a metallic not comes and goes.  Then a buttery quality which stays although moves more into the background.  Eventually, some orange citrus and floral notes with a great underlying minerality.  The palate also goes thru a wild ride starting off tight and oak driven, the

Light green/gold in color.  The nose is tight at first but opens quickly.  Showing dust, slight vanilla and lemons.  With air, more of the oak shows as fresh cut lumber.  It has a slightly oily texture which is very nice.  On the palate, more red apples.  As the oak subsides a bit with air, the depth and complexity take front stage.  This is really deep and complex and even at age 7, still needs a bit more time to get to peak though it is drinking well right now.  The finish is a bit sweet and very long.  This should go well with a wide variety of foods and in this case was perfect with a B

This was interesting and unique.  It has a deep golden/orange hue to it.  I wondered if it was oxidized, but got no hint of that.  Perhaps they left the juice in contact with the red grape skins.  It is made from six varietals; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane which is how Champagne was traditionally made in the 1800's.  The nose is tight and never offered up a lot.  Some baked apples, a bit of yeast.  The palate, however, was explosive.  It is slightly sweet and I was surprised to see the label said Brut.  Mandarin oranges with a bit of ginger. 

This has base wines from 1998 to 2010.  It is comprised of 45% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunie.  Light yellow/gold in color.  The nose is very nice with pears, toast and hay.  Perhaps just the slightest note of oxidation.  A beautiful creamy texture.  Good acidity but not intense.  On the palate, there is  a nice citrusy quality over a mineral base.  A long tart finish that leaves the impression of strawberries.  This took a bit of time/air to open.  Of course, Krug is magic and this wine lived up to its part.  

This is a reasonably priced Chardonnay.  It does have a fair amount of oak on it, but is still on the crisper style.  Golden in color.  The nose has lemon vanilla cream with some raw cut lumber.  It has a nice oily texture.  Plenty of fresh oak on the palate as well but also some lemon and orange peel.  Slightly bitter on the finish.  For the price (around $16), this is a nice Chardonnay for drinking over the first few years.  

My favorite Chardonnay producer (not my favorite vineyard) but the house style is unmistakable.  Light golden in color.  The nose has a lovely lemon vanilla creme quality to it with nice minerality.  This vineyard also seems to have a slight pine quality which while good is a bit harder to match with food.  Nice balance.  Good acidity.  The palate has the same flavors with the vanilla less in the foreground and the minerals more prominent.  This bottle was paired with Japanese foods and it worked very well.