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The transition from summer season’s heat to autumn’s crisp temperatures can spark a change in our palates as nicely.
The lean, crisp white wines that pair so nicely with the warmth can appear a bit stark within the fall. A white wine with a bit extra heat would possibly higher match the invoice. Enter California chardonnay.
The riper fruit flavours that include the sunny state’s local weather create a extra full-bodied bottle. The wines usually present extra oak affect than these from chardonnay’s birthplace – Burgundy. Ripe fruit, barrel fermentation, lees stirring and oak ageing could be a scrumptious mixture.
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A few of my favorite California chardonnay producers embody Mount Eden Vineyards, Ridge Vineyards, Ramey Wine Cellars and Rombauer Vineyards. However the costs for his or her prime wines might be prohibitive. Fortunately there are superb choices on the market for round $30. Listed below are a number of.
Wente Vineyards
2022
Riva Ranch Winery Chardonnay
Arroyo Seco, Monterey, California
It’s laborious to speak about California chardonnay with out mentioning Wente Vineyards, which has labored with the grape since 1908. In reality, a clone developed by the Wentes is grown by different wineries all through the state.
The Riva Ranch winery south of San Francisco has been managed by Wente Vineyards because the Sixties. About 90 per cent of the juice was barrel fermented in new and second-use French and American oak. It was additionally aged on the lees — lifeless yeast cells — for six months, creating a stunning creamy texture.
Search for flavours of lemon, nectarine, mandarin orange, vanilla, cream and buttered popcorn. Consisting of 97 per cent chardonnay and three per cent gewurztraminer, it boasts only a kiss of spice.
Value: About $26. Search for it at BSW Liquor, Costco Liquor, Crowfoot Wine and Spirits – Altadore, Willow Park Wines & Spirits, Wine and Past and Zyn the Wine Market.
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Drink: Now. Strive it with Mexican road corn, panko-crusted white-fleshed fish or quiche. Cork; 13.5 per cent alc./vol.
Rodney Sturdy
2019
Chardonnay
Chalk Hill, Sonoma County, California
Former skilled dancer Rodney Sturdy traded the stage for the winery in 1959 after changing into enamoured with wine whereas performing in Paris.
One of many first vineyards he planted, in 1965, was at Chalk Hill, an inhospitable place for many vegetation, however a terrific spot for chardonnay vines, stated Rodney Sturdy senior vice-president of winemaking Justin Seidenfeld throughout a latest cease in Calgary.
The white, chalky-looking soil reminded Sturdy of Burgundy, so he grew to become the primary to plant chardonnay within the space east of the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County.
This 2019 wine spent 14 months in French oak barrels, with 32 per cent being new. After fermentation and a interval of month-to-month lees stirring, they let the wine relaxation for 4 months to harmonize. Search for flavours of baked lemon, tangerine, mandarin orange, vanilla, pineapple, brown sugar and cream on this dry wine with vigorous acidity and a lovely end.
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Value: About $30. Shops which have carried it embody choose areas at Highlander Wine and Spirits, Actual Canadian Liquor Retailer and Wine and Past, plus King’s Liquor Retailer, Willow Park Wines & Spirits and Zyn the Wine Market.
Drink: Now. Roast hen, shrimp scampi or peach cobbler can be tasty pairings. Screw cap; 14.5 per cent alc./vol.
St. Francis Vineyard and Vineyards
2022
Chardonnay
Sonoma County, California
The St. Francis vineyard was began in 1979 by Joe Martin, who had been promoting grapes to close by Sonoma County wineries since buying a 100-acre orchard in 1971.
Martin, who handed away in 2015, named the vineyard after Saint Francis of Assisi, the saint famous for his take care of animals and ecology. In 2004, Martin bought the vineyard to the Kopf household, house owners of Kobrand Wine and Spirits, which had been distributing the St. Francis wines.
The vineyard grew to become Licensed California Sustainable in 2013 and considers the surroundings, fairness and economics when making all key selections. Winemaker Katie Madigan has produced a terrific chardonnay right here. It finds the right stability between fruit, oak and acidity. It’s vigorous on the palate, with flavours of brioche, baked lemon, white peach, flint and nectarine.
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Value: Round $30. Verify for it at BSW Liquor, Craft Cellars, Highlander Wine and Spirits, Market Wines, New Discovery High quality Wines and Spirits, Olympia Liquor, Willow Park Wines & Spirits, Wine and Past and Zyn the Wine Market.
Drink: Within the subsequent two or three years. Take into account pairing it with crab, hen tagine or lobster bisque. Cork; 14.1 per cent alc./vol.
Presqu’ile
2022
Chardonnay
Santa Barbara County, California
Positioned excessive within the hills with expansive views of the Santa Maria Valley and the Pacific Ocean past, Presqu’ile is a family-owned vineyard with a concentrate on producing wines targeted on freshness.
House owners Matt and Anna Murphy began the vineyard northwest of Los Angeles in 2007 and named it after the household’s ancestral property positioned on a peninsula within the Gulf of Mexico. A French-Creole time period that means ‘virtually an island,’ the idyllic spot was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
The vineyard produces cool-climate fashion wines, with a concentrate on pinot noir and chardonnays from its personal vineyards and different prime spots within the state.
The 2022 Santa Barbara County chardonnay delivers citrus and stone fruit flavours, with notes of pineapple and buttered popcorn. The crisp acidity elevates the wine, which was aged for six months in both impartial French oak (60 per cent) or chrome steel.
Value: Round $36. Search for it at Bin 905, BSW Liquor, Crowfoot Wine and Spirits Signature retailer, Vine Arts, Vine Kinds and Wine and Past.
Drink: Within the subsequent three years. Oysters, roast hen or creamy lemon pasta would pair nicely. Cork; 12.8 per cent alc./vol.
Contact Darren Oleksyn at dm.oleksyn@gmail.com or observe him on Instagram or X. In search of a selected wine? As a result of wine inventories are at all times in flux, it’s a good suggestion to name a retailer to substantiate they’ve it. A search on Liquorconnect.com may give you an concept of shops which have carried the wines.
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