Two Buck Chuck, or Three Buck Chuck depending on where you live.  I kind of didn’t want to do this, but after Charles Shaw Chardonnay won top honors in the California State Fair wine competition I had to include it in my Chardonnay Challenge.  It beat out 350 other California Chardonnays to win that award, so I at least have to give it its proper due.

I’ll be up front, I’m not a fan of Charles Shaw wines.  I’ve tried them.  I’ve tried to have an open mind considering the fact that they are extremely cheap, but they just don’t do it for me.  You can do much better without spending a lot more.

Most Chuck wines I’ve tried are drinkable.  They aren’t absolutely disgusting, they just aren’t that good.  If you insist on spending only $3 then fine, get a Two Buck Chuck.

All that said, I probably should have blind-tasted the Charles Shaw to eliminate any bias.  But I tried to judge it honestly and if anything I was probably a bit generous.

Here’s my assessment of Charles Shaw Chardonnay 2005:  The nose is rather weak and has a bit of an acid smell that reminds me of photography developing chemicals from my old black & white photo lab.  It’s not a strong photo-chemical smell, but it’s there.  The taste isn’t bad, but there’s also nothing exciting or interesting about it.  The fruit is somewhat unripened… Green apples and a touch of mineral on the palate.  It does have a bit of malolactic buttery-ness.  The finish is exceptionally short, almost instant.  The numbers broke out to a 72.

Wine: Charles Shaw
Varietal: Chardonnay
Alcohol: 13.5% 
Rating: 72

The Real Deal

Here’s the deal… while Charles Shaw may have won top honors in the California State Fair you won’t find that same quality in every bottle of Charles Shaw.  Charles Shaw wines are known to be inconsistent.  The bottle(s) entered into the California State Fair competition were undoubtedly hand picked.  While the bottle I picked up only got a 72, there are surely better bottles sitting in the store.

So how do you get a decent bottle of Charles Shaw chardonnay (or any varietal for that matter)?  Here’s the trick, you need to be ready to buy a case to make it worthwhile and do a little work.  And you need to be ready to admit defeat if it doesn’t work out.

1. Go to Trader Joe’s with a marker in hand, a corkscrew in your pocket and a wine glass handy.
2. Find the cases of Charles Shaw.  They are usually stacked up on a side wall.
3. Pull 4-5 bottles out of different cases.  Mark the bottles as you pull them and mark the cases with a matching identifier.
4. Buy the 4-5 bottles and head outside.
5. Pop the corks and try each of the bottles.
6. If you’ve found a good bottle go back in and buy the rest of that case.

Of course make sure you have a friend to drive you home after trying all that wine if you’re not spitting.  I have a buzz after one glass– I guess I’m a light weight.  Cheers and enjoy.