Tag Archives: Chardonnay

Mislabeled

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Definitely NOT evil flowers as the label indicates.

These belong on the list of The Wines of Summer.


Plunk me down in this chunk of South Western France. and let me wander.  I think we would do just fine weaving our way from vineyard to vineyard enjoying the wines of summer.


A little of this, a bit more of that, and lots of this – mix and match that go with tapas, cheeses, or even roasted poultry. Colombard, Ugni Blanc (known as Trebbiano in Italy), and Gros Manseng, along with international varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Because they are high in acidity and have relatively neutral flavors, Colombard and Ugni Blanc are often distilled to make brandy in South West France.


I suggest that you serve the white a little colder than other whites.

COTES DE GASCOGNE – LES FLEURS DU MAL

$16.99

11.5% alcohol

UPC: 08717545260081


And then we experimented with berry fragrances and a clean, well-balanced finish.


20 to 40 year old vines in the Languedoc / Roussillon region.  


The wine worked really well with grilled pork tenderloin rings (salsa of apple, purple onion, and mushrooms)Great refresher in the heat.


CEVENNES ROSE – LES FLEURS DU MAL

$15.99

13% alcohol

UPC: 03495864011212

A perfect representation

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Just like the friends that brought it – gentle, bright, and well balanced.

From one of the most innovative producers in Burgundy, this chardonnay is easy to drink and disappears quickly. The valley near the Ardeche River with clay and limestone-based soils was chosen as the ideal location to produce a top-quality Chardonnay wine.

ARDECHE CHARDONNAY – LOUIS LATOUR

$18.99

13% alcohol

UPC: 0356692100010

For now and later

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The vineyard is near Verona and we have a beautiful blend of Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Tocai (Friulano), Cortese (Fernanda), Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon. 30 year old vines give us character.

A lovely yellow with green highlights.  Dry and Tangy.  Nicely full bodied and a long persistent after taste.

Enjoy it now, and stow it away for up to 4 or 5 years to enjoy later.

CUSTOZA SUPERIORE BIANCO – MONTE DEL FRA CA DEL MAGRO 2016

$21.99

13% Alcohol

UPC: 00838547000050

Flashback Dinner

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We were very pleased to see a Mondavi in Mystery Case #9.  We remember a dinner at the Empress Hotel decades ago with representatives from Mondavi for a tasting and dinner. A MOST enjoyable time.


In tribute, we created tenderloin kebabs (pork/Japanese Eggplant/small tomatoes/red yellow peppers/mushrooms) for our flashback dinner.


This wine is more acidic than I’d have expected from a Californian Chard (and this is a good thing), the Oak is still a little overpowering in my view, but certainly not completely out of balance. It’s full bodied with a nice rich texture. 


Not sure I’d call it ’new’ style, but it brings forward the not-as-oaky, unobtrusive flavours of the newer Chardonnays from California.

Mondavi Napa Valley Chardonnay 2017

$24.97

14.5 % Alcohol

Follows Through

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It smells light, tastes ripe in a medium bodied way.  It’s smooth and has a soft finish. There is a lovely crisp acidity to it.


 Simple but enjoyable and food friendly.

The grapes are from one of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards: Solano County, Mendocino County and Lake County in the Napa Valley. A late August harvest for the warmer climate blocks in Solano and Lake County and finishing at the end of September with Mendocino County grapes.


We chose scallops for our food pairing.  Music was Jazz at it’s best.

CHARDONNAY – WILLIAM HILL NORTH COAST 2017

$19.99 regularly $21.99

13.8% Alcohol

UPC: 00085000021590

Definitely Distinctive

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It’s fresh.  It’s light. It’s Fragrant.  Nice, but not offensively fruit driven.  Pinot Noir with a touch of Chardonnay.
This one is ideal as an aperitif or, as we did,  with an omelette with parboiled, then grilled, potato slices.
it was recently awarded a Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

ROSE – OYSTER BAY MARLBOROUGH 2020

$17.99 regularly $19.99

13% alcohol

UPC: 09415549805602

What gets imported where?

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Rather than import salmon into Croatia, it’s better to import their wine to BC and enjoy locally caught salmon.  The combination made for a great dinner.


Over a year ago we had their red.  And loved it, so were very much looking forward to sampling the white.


We certainly were not disappointed.  New varietals – Pošip 70%, Vugava 20%, Chardonnay 10%. Posip and Vugava bring freshness, with just a touch of chardonnay to round it out.. A most enjoyable wine.


This is an elegant, wonderfully balanced, white blend from Croatia’s Brac island. Jako Vino’s Stina range.

Stina refers to the white stone of the island. 


CUVEE WHITE – STINA 2018

$23.99

12.5% Alcohol

UPC: 03859892605742

Pairings

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This chardonnay from the Margaret River of Western Australia is right up our alley.  

It paired wonderfully with a lightly garlic’d chicken stir fry with German egg noodles (instead of traditional Italian spaghetti), because no particular flavour dominated either the wine or the dinner.


The wine has a lovely balance to it. A pale gold colour introduces you to a natural acidity and then depth right through to the finish.


Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer kept us entertained.


I’m beginning to think that the Goddess of Wine is setting us up for a Chardonnay Taste Test.  This is the 5th in the last two mystery cases.

CHARDONNAY – DEVILS LAIR HONEYBOMB MARGARET RIVER 2018

$21.99 regularly $24.99

13% Alcohol

UPC: 09310194002461

A pair of C’s

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Not often that we get to compare two of the same grape back to back.


Just because Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular wines, it doesn’t mean it is the most prominent in our wine rack. The Goddess makes sure that we try a lot of different grapes.


These two choices are great – but quite different in flavour and texture.  

The Tom Gore had a longer finish whilst the Villa Maria highlighted what’s important as it works it’s way through the range of your taste buds.


Both are full, with creamy textures and have slight suggestions of oak.


The Tom Gore grapes are sourced from North and Central California Coast vineyards and have a 2% addition of Sauvignon Blanc.


Villa Maria has a blend of Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Waipara fruit.


We kept the food light with both.  Next time, I think I’d try both with soft and mild cheeses or a light lunch just to let the winesspeak louder than the meal.

Tom Gore Chardonnay

$19.99

13.5%

AlcoholUPC:  00086003248014

Villa Maria East Chardonnay

$15.99

13.0% Alcohol

UPC: 09414416501876

Why we do Mystery Cases

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This wouldn’t normally be on our radar, or in our case – but thankfully the Goddess of Wine picks both low and high above the average price for our mystery items.


The central California Coast around Monterey has an extended growing season which allows for full ripening of the grapes and as a result we have smooth textures to the wine.  

Round Bouquet, slightly lemony flavours and a nice honey-like smooth finish.


This is a BIG Chardonnay with all the trimmings.


Roasted chickie with fruit stuffing (pomegranate seeds, figs, raisins, prunes, apricots, dates) made a great match for the wine.

CHARDONNAY – MER SOLEIL RESERVE SANTA LUCIA

$31.99 regularly $32.99

14.4% Alcohol

UPC:  00710909710107