Wine Tasting: 2013 EnRroute Chardonnay

It's been a while since I've found time to write up some wine tasting notes.  Actually, I haven't had time to research many new wines to try either.  Have been just enjoying several good wines that I've tried before.

Today's wine is 2013 EnRoute Chardonnay from California's Russian River Valley.

Tasting Notes:
Light straw in color with a petite lemon and grapefruit aroma.   While the aroma may be petite, the flavors are immense and quite vivid!  This chardonnay packs a punch.  Booming lemon with a mix of honeydew and lemongrass.  A soft buttery oak softens and adds a bit of creaminess, though it's very understated, but adds depth and complexity.  The complexity does not stop there as it also carries quite of bit of acidic punch that blends well with the staunch flavors packed into this chardonnay.

Final Thoughts:
Wow, that took me by surprise!  I was not prepared for that at all.  The wine is wonderful, but definitely give it some air prior to consuming.  Out of the bottle, the acidity is very overpowering.   It becomes much more balanced after about 15 minutes.   This is definitely a wine to try!

Wine Tasting: 2015 De Morgenzon Chardonnay

This evening we are going with a very nice South African Chardonnay with dinner.

Tasting Notes:
Quite light in color with mellow citrus and rubber scents. Very lightly oaked and lemony with a dry honeydew essence with late hints of earthen overtones. Decent finish and acidity to make this an enjoyable vino with dinner.

Final Thoughts:
As they say, South African wines are some of the best values on the market today.  This one is no different.  It's quite delicious and at a good price.

Wine Tasting: 2014 Columbia Crest Chardonnay Unoaked Reserve Estate

I'm really becoming a huge fan of Washington wines.  I received my wine club order from Columbia Crest not too long ago and one of the wines they sent was an unoaked reserve Chardonnay.   2014 Columbia Crest Chardonnay Unoaked Reserve Estate

Tasting Notes:
Light golden straw in color. Light and crisp scents of citrus and dried fruit. Voracious honeydew accented with lemon and slight hints of lime buried in the late balanced acidity. Medium bodied with smooth texture and very nice finish.

Final Thoughts:
While I generally lean towards oaked Chardonnay, I do not like them heavily oaked. This is a very good unoaked Chardonnay. One I'm very happy with.  Excellent wine!

Wine Tasting: 2013 Mer Soleil Chardonnay Reserve

Tonight I'm having shrimp scampi and a Chardonnay to match.

Tasting Notes:
Light gold in color, modest scents of citrus and lemongrass. On the palate, tenacious buttery cantaloupe, with hints of lemon, and kiwi. Full bodied and lusciously smooth.

Final thoughts;
This is a beautiful Chardonnay.  While my expectations were high for this Chardonnay, it exceeded them quite a bit.  This is definitely a talking wine.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Ashan Chardonnay, Kestrel Vineyard

Like sands through an hour glass.  So drains the wine from my glass!  Today I am tasting Kestrel Vineyards 2013 Ashan Chardonnay created by winemaker Chris Goman.  Their website states that their vines are the oldest in the state.  (Washington State)

Tasting Notes:
Yellow gold, very faint on the nose. Mostly rubber and citrus though as I noted, the fragrance is quite weak. It's medium bodied, dry with a heavy punch of acidity. Flavors of apricot, lemon, and a touch of grapefruit.

Final Thoughts:
I think the wine has good quality, but not exactly my tastes. It may have had to do with the wine pairng being a shrimp scampi that had a touch of lemon zest competing with it.  I have another bottle.  Next time I will try it without the pairing or find a more suitable pairing for it.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Alpha Omega II Chardonnay

Tonight's wine choice was about the dinner pairing.  So the meal selected the wine and that wine is Alpha Omega's "II" Chardonnay.  The meal was broiled Salmon in a Orange and Lime marinade over rice with fresh steamed green beans splashed with garlic and butter herb.

I would talk about the winery, but Alpha Omega is pretty popular due to it's Cabernet Sauvignon.  An introduction probably isn't needed.  If it is, I recommend you pick up a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon.  It's worthy of it's price point.

Tasting Notes:
This wine is a smooth medium bodied wine with good acidity that can cut through butter or cream with ease.  It smells of citrus and rubber hose.  On the palate, it shows a rubbery lemon and honeydew impressions with a buttery oak finish.  Very well balanced, this wine is prime structure now.

Final thoughts:  This is a very good Chardonnay.  It's price point is around a quarter of what it's big brother (Cab/Sauv) is and it's definitely a great value wine at around $24 US.  The pairing this citrus wine with a citrus marinated Salmon, hit the spot.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay, Napa Valley

So, I've started my first foray into Winemaking.  It started off well and then ended terribly this morning losing the entire batch.  Ugh!  Well, the wine wasn't lost (I didn't know that at the time), but in hast to get to work and thinking it was ruined due to overnight exposure to the air.  I personally ruined it by dumping it down the drain.  That's another story though.  One I will probably document soon.

Anyway, because my morale was in the toilet after this mornings debacle.  I decided I would open a slightly more pricey bottle tonight to enjoy.  

Today's tasting is Cakebread Cellar's 2013 Napa Valley Chardonnay.  The Winemaker is Julianne Laks and it was aged sur lie in French oak barrels, 20% new with periodic stirring of the lees.  I note the aging for a reason which I will get to in the tasting notes.

Tasting Notes:
Citrus on the nose, though its quite faint.  On the palate there is grapefruit, lemon, and a zesty acidity that punches right through the buttery scampi sauce I had with dinner.  This Chardonnay boasts much more flavor than the aroma suggests which was a little surprising.  There is next to no oak or buttery flavoring within the wine itself which is why I choose to note the French oak aging.

Overall, it's a good Chardonnay, but I do not believe the value is there at its price point.  Cakebread Cellars has a higher end Chardonnay Reserve that I would like to try and compare.

Tasting: 2013 Meiomi Chardonnay

The wine is greenish-gold in color.  Very close to a mid-stalk area of lemongrass.  It smells of lemon, honeydew, and garden hose while tasting of papaya, lemon and straw.  It's medium bodied with a satin-like texture.  I would say the acidity is slightly higher that it should be for a good balance. 

It was good, but not great.

Paired with a shrimp scampi with red pepper flake.  The bright lemony flavor would cut straight through the scampi butter sauce and douse the spiciness of the red pepper flake which was nice.

Tasting: 2014 White Oak Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

I didn't record detailed tasting notes for this wine when I drank it, but this had to be one of the most buttery Chardonnays I've had with almost no acidity.  Actually, it seemed almost all buttery and not much other flavors. (well, some honey also)  I can and do appreciate the buttery oak flavor of some Chardonnays.  This one just seemed rather weird.   That said, I did still enjoy it.

Tasting: 2012 Sbragia Home Ranch Chardonnay ~ Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County

Greenish gold in color.  Pears, green apples, rubber, and a buttery oak.  Feels great in the mouth and has a medium plus body and a long finish.  This is a very good Chardonnay!  I'm glad I have another bottle of it!

Tasting: 2013 Napa Valley Chardonnay by Agnitio's Wines

Light and refreshing with pears, apples, and citrus flavors. Not very dry and only a little oak. Definitely a keeper at just under $20. 

A light fish or maybe a spicy pork would go great with it.