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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Alexander Valley Vineyards Chardonnay 2010 (About $17)

About the Wine:  Chardonnay is one of the three noble white varieties.  It is not as sweet or tangy as Riesling and not as acidic as Pinot Grigio, making it the most accessible for many people.  Though it is grown in vineyards all over the world, the best known regions for Chardonnay are France and California.  The French are known for making light, crisp Chardonnays with mineral notes on the palate.  California Chardonnay is often associated with the practice of oak barrel aging, which imparts butter, cream, and vanilla notes to the wine.  A common request in the wine shop where I work is ". . . a Chardonnay that's not too oaky."
About THIS Wine:  This Chardonnay is from California but it is done in the French style.  The nose offers a rich scents of pear and lighter hints of citrus.  Seriously, I sniffed this wine longer than I needed to just because it was so nice to smell.  The palate was very crisp with no acidity to speak of.  The palate was lighter than the nose, but still quite pleasant.  The taste faded quickly into an unremarkable finish.
Drinking this Wine:  This could be a pleasant wine to bring along on a picnic.  It is best enjoyed chilled and is appropriate for warm weather.  It would be a good compliment to lemon chicken, white fish, or vegetarian dishes, especially vegetarian with a lot of fruit.  It is also good as a light sipping wine.
Overall Impression:  It is a very nice wine, but for $17 I expect something that delivers a lot on the palate, is very complex, or lingers pleasantly.  This wine does none of those things.  My final analysis is that it is good, but overpriced.

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