Oak be gone! Would you buy American unoaked chards????

Article from the San Diego Union Tribune:

Chardonnay lightens up!

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib ... chard.html

Hmm. Possibly.

I've always avoided chardonnays, but I just might look for some of these.

The 2005 Mer Soleil Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands Silver Unoaked is a pretty serious wine, but so is the SRP at $42!

The 2005 St. Clair from Marlborough is just about as good at only $16. The U.S. need to come into pricing realityville. My money is going to the Kiwis.

The 2005 St. Clair from Marlborough is just about as good at only $16.

Good to know. Thanks, Randy!

Quite simply, no.

The 2005 Mer Soleil Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands Silver Unoaked is a pretty serious wine, but so is the SRP at $42!

The 2005 St. Clair from Marlborough is just about as good at only $16. The U.S. need to come into pricing realityville. My money is going to the Kiwis.

Amazing difference in price, Buckissimo! $16 is much sweeter! Go beat those $42 guys for us, will ya?

During our brief trip to Yakima Valley in March, we tasted the 2005 Desert Wind Bare Naked Chardonnay ($15). No oak and very appealing. My wife liked it so much, she convinced me to buy it. Fortunatley, they placed the bottle in a nice brown paper bag, so I wasn't too embarassed when I walked out with it.

-- Clark

While I applaud the efforts, I still prefer Chablis.
But I'd be pleased to taste the wines and would be open to buying them if they tasted as good or better than Chablis and were priced comparably.
Best, Jim

Our two favorite from CA-CA land are the Four Vines Naked and the Toad Hollow. The latter is maled, but unoaked; making it nice for those chicken recipes that seem to scream for Chard.

Overall, though, we like the Maconnais best.