The 20th Wine Tasting (2013-04-06) - USA (California) - Chardonnay (White)

After a month of break, this is the first wine tasting after wine club reorganization. I'm pretty happy with the re/new-sign up members right now. It was really successful. I will do my best to offer my humble service.

You may remember, the greatest grape varieties of California are Cabernet Sauvignon (red) and Chardonnay (white). Oak-aged Chardonnay is particularly popular in the United States. Winemakers usually use new oak barrel to create creamy and buttery taste. High alcohol content is also the signature of California wines.

Here is another map I found online. This map points out the other way to breakdown wine regions of California (North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast and Central Valley). For more information of wine regions, you can see my (California Cabernet Sauvignon). The wines we selected are from North Coast and Central Coast.

1. 2010 Lincourt: Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills

  This is the only bottle, which is unoaked. Gold color, fresh cut apple on nose; about medium body, high acid, I felt a little bit aggressive, and bitter after-taste. It is not so crispy as I expected as an unoaked white.

2. 2009 Wild Horse Chardonnay Unbridled Bien Nacido Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley, central coast)
  Dry pineapple with sugar on nose; It's medium to full body, and you can strongly feel the backbone. It tasted like corn oil. No sweet or creamy kind of feeling, but smokey and spicy; I guess it might be aged in French oak. Smokey plus overly high acid is a "special" combination to. I'm sorry to say that it's not my glass of wine.

3. 2009 Gary Farrell Chardonnay Carneros Selection
  This bottle is very similar to the second bottle; pineapple on nose, medium to full body, hardly detected green apple, tested like buttered corn, very high acid. slightly better than the second one.

4. 2008 Chanin Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley)
  Again, it's very similar. more fruity, but still tasted like boiled corn.

5. 2009 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay (Napa Valley)

  Fresh cut pineapple on nose. less oily texture, less corn taste, more mild acidity; everything is more balanced and harmony. However, the enjoyment does not match its price.

To conclude that, all these wine are very high quality, and I believe they are good with some fatty steaks, like salmon steak or rib-eye. I personally prefer the unoaked one out of these five. However, California Chardonnay is not my glass of wine.

Next month, we are going back to France. Bordeaux Red will be served :)
Meanwhile, I will keep posting previous wine tastings.