Chardonnay... hmmmm

The theme of the last week for me has been Chardonnay. And despite the fact it’s Autumn now, we’re still having 100 degree record temps so why not continue with some tasty, refreshing white wines. Geez, when is this heat gonna end!

I posted about the Cuvaison Chardonnay last weekend and felt like I’d like to be doing some comparisons so here are a couple more that got tagged as part of the query. (Tough duty.)  In this case I purposely decided to spend a little less and kinda see ‘how low can you go’.

First, I tried the “Red Diamond” from Washington. A 2002 Chardonnay. Yes, let’s be honest, the price was right on this wine. This wine was somewhere in the $10 range. Likewise, was the sale priced 2004 Kendall-Jackson California Chardonnay Vintner’s Reserve “Jackson Estates Grown” that I picked up on sale at HEB grocery.

Despite their widely diverse geography, these wines were surprisingly similar so I simply lumped them together in this post. But let’s be clear, neither of these wines were quite as enjoyable as the previously profiled wines this week from Domaine Manciat-Poncet or the Napa Cuvaison. Both were refreshing and crisp, but simply not as well rounded or full of fuit. The finish wasn’t as long and the taste was just less interesting. Both had a similar quality of having something of a citrus note, but in addition to crisp tartness was also a note of sourness that just wasn’t quite what I was really looking for in the wake of those other wines. The body and buttery note one might expect was also sparingly there.

Both of these come from huge wineries with other offerings. So, perhaps I should give those others a shot. For example, for another $7 I could try a Kendall-Jackson ‘Grand Reserve’. Presumably I’d find a significant difference. If I find one handy, I’ll check that out.

Price

Both retailed for around $10

Overall

 crisp, refreshing, though light bodied, rather tart and short-lived finish. Next.

Technorati tag: wine