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Open Mike: Chardonnay

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Howie Hart

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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Howie Hart » Mon Aug 06, 2007 9:56 pm

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Carl, I never realised that Finger Lakes could produce a chardonnay/s as you describe! Hope to see more notes and in time will do a google search for more background.
I think there must be a website out there relating to production overall??
Bob, Try New York Wines. While many people are aware of Finger Lakes Riesling and Niagara Peninsula Ice Wine, the two regions, only about 100 miles apart, have many similarities and both grow many varieties of grapes and produce a large assortment of wines. You'll find Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cab Franc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurtz, other vineferas, numerous hybrids and Labruscas. You must come East on a butterfly and bird-watching trip. :wink:
Chico - Hey! This Bottle is empty!
Groucho - That's because it's dry Champagne.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:45 am

Thanks for the link Howie. Interesting Open Mike eh and more TNs to come. One of the local reps heard about my chardonnay crusade and dropped me off a bottle of Penfolds. Cheap sh..!
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Kyrstyn Kralovec » Tue Aug 07, 2007 12:46 pm

2005 Thierry et Pascale Matrot Meursault: Clear straw color. Faint nose of chalk and mineral. Aromas became a little bolder as the wine warmed, but never really were strong. The palate was full of puckery acidity and granny smith apples, along with the chalky, minerally notes that followed from the nose. Rather austere but quite nice, it went well with the baguette and the St. Marcellin cheese, but even better with the crabcakes, as the stony austerity of the wine was a nice contrast to the salty pungency of the crabcakes. This is definitely a wine for food. $32.95

2005 Four Vines Naked (Santa Barbara): Slightly paler straw than the meursault. Pineapple and toast aromas that were immediately evident, even without swirling. Juicy palate of red apples, far less acidic than the meursault, fleshy and creamy. No oak, so should I assume that the toast and creaminess can be attributed to the lees? Was more of a "match" for the crabcakes in weight, texture and flavors, but I found it a much less interesting combination than the meursault. $14.99

Both nice wines but obviously drastically different, and the burgundy was definitely a more interesting, complex and sophisticated wine. I was surprised to read that Thierry uses no "new oak" for his wine, because I honestly couldn't detect any oak at all. Yet the Four Vines used no oak and I would have figured it for oaked.

Oh, and they were both screwcap!
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:46 pm

Four Vines....I am kicking myself as most of the winery`s portfolio was at DeVines here in town. I only purchased some Zins and now the Chardonnay is out of stock!! Nice notes there KS.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Carl Eppig » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:54 pm

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Four Vines


Thought one of more us mentioned this one earlier!

Cheers,
Carl
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:47 pm

I knew that I had some Yalumba "Y' Series notes here from the local bird club spring picnic. Wines tasted included the Viognier and the nice Riesling that always features at Doris Ranch. Must think of looking for the Grenache they used to turn out? Anyhows we also tried the unoaked Chardonnay which retails for around $15 Cdn which is cheap around these parts!

`05 Yalumba "Y" Series Unoaked Chardonnay, S Australia.

Colour was a pale yellow w. tints of green. On the nose, I found melon, peach, apple and a splash of citrus. Yup, I know..winemaking by numbers!! The mouthfeel was so-so, soft and not much acidity. It was pretty crisp with apricot, peach and nice melon as it warmed. Think best not to serve this too chilled. There is a ton of competition out there for this price range but clever marketing seems to work. Especially the detachable back label that one can take in to the wine store and say "I want this one!".

edit... I just checked the website, seems the Grenache is no longer in the portfolio.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:36 pm

Carl Eppig wrote:
Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Four Vines


Thought one of more us mentioned this one earlier!

Cheers,
Carl


Well, I just heard from the agent and he is setting up a display of said wine as I speak!! Will buy tomorrow, yippee.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:08 pm

Carl Eppig wrote:
Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Four Vines


Thought one of more us mentioned this one earlier!

Cheers,
Carl


Carl, wanna hear some groovy background music?!!!!!

http://www.fourvines.com
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Kyrstyn Kralovec » Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:19 pm

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:
Carl Eppig wrote:
Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Four Vines


Thought one of more us mentioned this one earlier!

Cheers,
Carl


Carl, wanna hear some groovy background music?!!!!!

http://www.fourvines.com


How very hip :wink: After looking at their website I think I may a different perspective on the wine as I finish it up tonight...
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Tim York » Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:27 pm

I set out to see what I could find at our local supermarket in the way of “Chardonnay” as distinct from white burgundy, of which I have a modest selection in my cellar. There were offerings from Australia (incl. Tasmania), New Zealand, Chile, Spain and an organic offering from Argentina. However I was put off all these by their back labels which promised caricatural profiles highlighting vanilla, caramel or “subtle” oak notes. There was no offering from California; indeed, here in Belgium, I know suppliers with good ranges of wines from nearly all wine-growing countries except from the USA .

So I went back to the French shelves. This one looked the most promising.


LA BELLE TERRASSE CHARDONNAY UNOAKED 2005 – Vin de Pays d’OC – Bottled for La Boulanderie by Penval Wines SAS, Narbonne - Alc. 13.5% - EUR 4,99.

C : Very pale N: Well developed with notes of white and tropical fruit, herbs and spices, particularly touches of nutmeg. P: Quite mouth-filling and fresh with appealing primary fruit and aromas and a touch of rusticity in its grip. Although there is not a lot of depth, “gras” and minerality, this Chardonnay is mercifully free of strong buttery notes, residual sugar and wood derived aromas and is honestly enjoyable. Can one ask more at this price point and from this region?


Well, with regard to the region, one of the best wine finders in Belgium showed me a Chardonnay from the Limoux sector of this same region a few months ago. It absolutely startled me with its complex minerality and honeyed richness; the four bottles I took away have already all gone down my wife’s and my own gullets. Sadly I cannot remember the precise identity of the wine and its producer. Still there will be more bottles from the same source.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Wed Aug 08, 2007 4:45 pm

Tim, I am going out soon. Will look at some more back labels for you!!!!! Now where is that note book?
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Thu Aug 09, 2007 9:16 am

KS, I found the naked Vines so look forward to sampling!!

Tim, back label.........."has seen no oak, nor does it want to". Nuff said eh.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Dan Donahue » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:25 pm

I never been a member of the ABC club, but the pre-oxidation problem for Burgundies has limited my purchases the last few years. I'll still pick up some Maconnaise for current consumption (Rijckaert Vire-Clesse can be an incredible buy), but I now look to CA for ones to age. Not that NZ's Kumeu River isn't in the running.

For me, the problem with CA Chardonnay isn't oak, rather unbalanced oak. Tonight's bottle was hit with 50% new French Oak and went through partial malo, yet still retained a nice balance between creaminess and tart fruits. A seamless wine with ever expanding waves of flavor, good with food and worthy of introspection. '03 Kistler Les Noisetiers
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:37 pm

Kistler, a name to reckon with but alas we crash land here with a Penfolds. I did not buy this bottle, it was donated by the rep cos he had heard I was suddenly into chardonnay!!! LOL.

WTN: `05 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay, South East Australia.

Yeah, I know you can boo alright. Wasn`t my idea! Anyhows 13.5% alc, synthetic cork, costs around $16Cdn. Think the Hyland is over $20 and a much better wine IMO.

Medium straw colour, nose has citrus, floral and hint of spice. Nothing distinct at all but that is to be expected (tongue in cheek). Tasting, I thought this wine had more character and expression when warm! Usual oh hum here...crisp, lively, melon,pear. Found some butterscotch after 2 hrs. Slight tropical edge too but don`t expect too much. Sure it sells, just look at the marketing going on with Penfolds!

**** today found an interesting St Veran from Drouhin so back to sanity when I open this one (I hope). Also a McLaren Vale chard from Tapestry which could be interesting.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Howie Hart » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:20 pm

How come we've got almost 40 posts in this thread about Chardonnay and only one in the wine focus designated thread, and they started the same day?
Chico - Hey! This Bottle is empty!
Groucho - That's because it's dry Champagne.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by JC (NC) » Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:37 am

For me, I had several Chards on hand and no Albarino. I probably will have to get to Raleigh before I can locate one.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:26 am

Yeah, when we were talking about this months Focus, I did not realise there were so few Albarinos around here. If we had someone around to guide us through (like the old days) maybe a better response but its early days.
Although not a regular Chardonnay drinker, I am really enjoying this new OM and have 4 more chards to go!!!
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Carl Eppig » Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:38 am

When I hit the Wolfeboro Liq Store yesterday there were two big holes where the Albarinos were supposed to be. The clerk assured me that they were on the truck which would be unloaded and shelved in about four hours.

I didn't have four hours to kill so I pick up a Four Vines Naked Chard!

The Albarinos seem to be popular though.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Kyrstyn Kralovec » Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:00 am

Bob Parsons Alberta. wrote:Yeah, when we were talking about this months Focus, I did not realise there were so few Albarinos around here. If we had someone around to guide us through (like the old days) maybe a better response but its early days.
Although not a regular Chardonnay drinker, I am really enjoying this new OM and have 4 more chards to go!!!


Next week...I've got my Alvarinho slated for drinking and reporting on next week.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Tim York » Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:34 pm

I have a delicious Albarino at home and will post a note as soon as we have a worthy fish to accompany it.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:49 pm

Looks like Albaro Otto is off and running over there Tim! I have the Paso Senorans ready to go but have to finish off my Malbec Hound duty here!!!
I have the St Veran from Drouhin and also picked up an `05 Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise from Francois D`Allaines. Looking forward to quite a few posts here this weekend maybe?
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:50 pm

Carl Eppig wrote:When I hit the Wolfeboro Liq Store yesterday there were two big holes where the Albarinos were supposed to be. The clerk assured me that they were on the truck which would be unloaded and shelved in about four hours.

I didn't have four hours to kill so I pick up a Four Vines Naked Chard!

The Albarinos seem to be popular though.


Four Vines? Another convert, way to go Carl.
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by Bob Parsons Alberta » Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:24 pm

WTN: `05 Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise, Francois Allaines.

Well established negociant, natural cork, 12.5% alc, $21 Cdn.

I was ready for another no oak, no vanilla chardonnay (famous quote from another thread today) so staff downtown said "Try this" as I wandered around the St. Verans on offer!!

The colour was a very pale yellow, no green tinges showing. On the nose I found peach, apricots and some minerals after it was opened 30 mins. Tad more spice as it aired.
Far better wine if served not too chilled. Palate was dry, citrus, spice and some tropical fruits. More lime than lemon in my opinion, and the lack of overdone creamyness did not bother me. This is what I want in my simple French chard! Quite a change after the Chablis, but a likeable wine. Hung in overnight with some peach and watermelon. Nice!
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Re: Open Mike: Chardonnay

by JC (NC) » Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:40 pm

WTN: 2004 Trevor Jones Virgin Chardonnay, South Australia
screwcap
color: gold with a slight tinge of green
13.%% alcohol
More tart than the Prejean Chard from the Finger Lakes. Some pear perhaps. I didn't find well-defined flavors and became bored with it on the second or third glass so decided not to finish the bottle and moved on to two California Chards next.
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