Issue number 18 of Mutineer Magazine hits shelves today and my column in the magazine this month includes an overview of some great values to be found in Paso Robles—including this chardonnay from Stillwaters Vineyards.

When I visited Stillwaters Vineyards back in March, I not only appreciated their wines, but got a little insight from one of the owners, Paul Hoover, that I found perfect for readers of our website.  He shared an example of how pruning techniques impact both the cost and the quality of wines.

When you prune grape vines, the number of buds you leave on each cane will directly impact how many grapes the vine produces.  For those who don’t know, a cane is basically a branch on the vine.  Each bud produces a cluster of grapes.  Therefore, if you leave one bud on a cane, that cane will produce one cluster of grapes.  Pruning this way intensifies the flavor in the grapes, but it also lowers crop yields.  Leaving 2 buds per cane is more economical, but it lowers the quality of the grapes.  Leaving 3 buds or more is pushing the vines too far and significantly lowers the quality.

Many of the more expensive wines are produced using a one bud pruning technique, while more economical wines use a two bud technique.  To be clear, there are many other factors that impact the cost and quality of a wine.  But I found this to be an interesting one that would be highly relevant to our readers.

I also found this particular chardonnay to be interesting.  While chardonnay is still a very popular wine, I’ve noticed a trend over the past few years where more and more wine consumers are turned off by the classic Californian oaky and buttery chardonnays.  The oakiness, obviously, comes from oaking, and the butteriness comes from malolactic fermentation.  But more and more consumers, myself included, are turning toward “naked” chardonnays that have no oak or malolactic fermentation for a brighter, fruitier style.  But another option lies somewhere between these styles.  And that’s what Hoover has strived to achieve with this chardonnay.

The Stillwaters Vineyards chardonnay is oaked, but did not go through malolactic fermentation.  The result is a wine that smells much like a traditional Californian chardonnay up front, with oak on the nose, but has crisp, fresh fruit flavors on the palate, with vibrant acidity.

This wine has a really nice vanilla fragrance on the nose (from the oak), along with a touch of banana.  The palate comes alive with good acidity and bright fruit flavors like mango, banana, and pear.  The lingering finish shows pear, light peach and touch of mineral.

It’s really a nice wine, but you’re not likely to find it in your local wine shop or restaurant, as Stillwaters sells most of their wine direct to consumers through their wine club.

Wine: Stillwaters Vineyards
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13.9%
Rating: 87
Price:  $20.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.  The author also visited the vineyard as a part of a press junket with the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.

Running a restaurant in the United States, and more specifically, in the mid-west, I’ve had to become extremely familiar with the Chardonnay varietal.  In fact, I’d say that beyond Sangiovese (it’s an Italian restaurant), I’d say that chardonnay ranks second in total volume of wines I’ve tasted.  I’d bet that I’ve tasted more chardonnay than all of the other white varietals combined.  I’ve tasted buttery, oaky, fruit forward as well as very complex chardonnays.   I’ve tasted very inexpensive chards and some of the most exotic.  And after all those chardonnay experiences I can honestly say one thing……..I’m tired of chardonnay.  And I don’t think I’m alone.

It’s not that I don’t like chardonnay; on the contrary, some of the chardonnay’s I’ve tasted represent some of my most memorable wine experiences.   Chardonnays like Beringer Private Reserve and Kistler have left indelible impressions on me, and are partly responsible for creating the wine enthusiast that I’ve become.  But it’s the myriad of inexpensive, and arguably overpriced chardonnays, conforming to a monotone style of acid-killing malolactic fermentation and fruit killing, over-toasted oak that has turned me off of the king of white wines.  So along comes another value-priced chardonnay from Chile, Apaltagua’s Reserva.  I’m finding it hard to get excited.  But what’s this?  It’s unoaked!  Yep, it says it right here on the label, in big and bold font, “Unoaked”.   My interest has been instantly perked.

Twist the screw cap on this Chilean and the first thing you notice is fruit, pure unadulterated fruit.  In the glass, the nose opens up in full force to a powerful honey-tinged lemon drop, with apple and a hint of bell pepper.  The nose would shame most wines twice the Apaltagua’s price.

The color of the wine is much lighter than what you would expect from a chard.  It has a bright crisp color, not unlike a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  But don’t let the appearance fool you.  On the palate the wine offers lush apple, and right about where you’d be expecting the oak to introduce itself, a rich layer of acid guides you on to the finish.  The wine is also very well balanced.

I was very impressed with this wine, but more importantly, I actually enjoyed a bottle of chardonnay without having to break the bank for something that avoids the stereotypical style.  Credit the winemakers at Apaltagua for crafting a unique and quality wine experience, and a great value.  But it leaves one very big question: will chard lovers embrace this style?  If you favor the soft buttery style that many California chards are offering, you probably need not apply.  But if you call yourself a chardonnay lover, you really owe it to yourself to try this wine.  If it doesn’t sell you, it will at the very least provide you with a reminder of what the chardonnay grape is capable of.

A Salute!

Wine: Apaltagua
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14%
Rating:  90
Price: $11.00

Find Apaltagua Reserva Chardonnay with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

The Chardonnay grape deserves respect.  The king of white wine has earned it.  But with that earned respect comes great expectation, and these days low to mid-tier producers of Chardonnay face unprecedented levels of competition from varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Viognier, particularly from up and coming foreign producers.  So when I recently had an opportunity to taste Gnarly Head’s latest Chardonnay offering, I too had expectations.   Not just because I’ve been tasting value priced Chardonnays for over 15 years, searching for high quality examples in the price segment for my customers, but also because I’m a fan of the Gnarly Head brand.   I love their light-hearted and mildly irreverent approach to wine making.  And, of course, I love the name…..I mean come on who doesn’t like the name Gnarly?

But back to the task at hand…..how’s the Chard?  Well if you believe the back label it ought to be pretty good.  “This mouthwatering wine takes you headfirst into tropical flavors of pineapple and citrus, followed by a zingy ginger accent and hints of graham cracker and vanilla on a creamy finish.”  It goes on to claim “full bodied”, “waves of flavor” and “well-balanced”.  That’s some bold language.  I like that bold language.  This SOUNDS great.  Let’s see how it tastes.

I actually spent some time with this wine, tasting it alone and with food, allowing it to breathe and reach mildly warmer temperatures to see what it would reveal.  I found that the nose delivered on the bold language, offering the tropical notes, including some mild ripe banana, and some mineralization.  However, the wine didn’t quite deliver on the palate.  While there is the zingy tropical fruit, the wine is too linear, and not as balanced as I would prefer.  That’s not to say there’s too much oak, on the contrary, this is a fresher interpretation of Chardonnay, which I like.  It’s just that the fruit on the palate belies what the nose, and the label, would indicate.  Some may like the creamier finish, but I would prefer a bit more acidity and length, particularly if you are going to pair this wine with food.

Don’t get me wrong.  This is a good Chardonnay for the money.  But it’s not exceptional.  I guess it’s all about expectations.

A  Salute!

Wine: Gnarly Head
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 84
Price: $9.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

You’ve probably seen this wine on the shelves of your local grocery store — that is, if they sell wine at grocery stores in your area.  Regardless, my point is that this is a mass-produced and widely distributed wine.  It’s made by the Bronco Wine Company, the same folks who are famous for producing Two-Buck Chuck.

A number of years ago there was actually some controversy surrounding this wine.  At one point in time Napa Valley vintners accused Bronco Wine Company of exploiting the Napa name by calling their wine Napa Ridge when it wasn’t from Napa Valley.  But that has since changed and Napa Ridge is actually from Napa Valley these days.

There’s a bit of an earthy, hay-like aroma on the nose of this wine.  It also shows vanilla and apple characteristics.  The flavor is like lemon-drenched apples and honeydew melon.  It’s slightly harsh and off balance when it hits your tongue.  There’s a little bit of heat on the finish too.  It’s a drinkable chardonnay, but not a top pick.

Wine: Napa Ridge
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 82
Price: $12.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

OK, I’m not going to spend a lot of time belaboring this one.  I’ve expressed my opinions about Barefoot wines in the past.  They aren’t that exciting, but they generally do a good job in cranking out some decent wines.  I haven’t had any Barefoot wine that I’d call “sex in a glass” but I’ve never found one to be undrinkable either — which isn’t something I can say about all cheap wine.

I’ve expressed before that I don’t like the fact that they don’t put vintages on their wines.  But an argument could be made that with the volume of wine they produce, there would be variation within a single vintage due to the variety of sources for the grapes.

I do have to give them credit for quality control and consistency.  While their wines are decent, they also are “production wines” made for consistency versus hand crafted wines made for character, and they tend to be a bit boring to me.

This is rather nice on the nose with soft peach and apple aromas.  It doesn’t strike me as exciting, but it’s doing what a basic California chardonnay should do.  The palate is consistent with the nose in that the flavors are mostly peach and green apple.  It has a little bit of a citrus quality on the finish.  The acidity is adequate and the mouth feel is a little bit creamy.  For a mere $7.00, I can’t complain about this chardonnay.

Wine: Barefoot Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: non-vintage
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 86
Price: $6.99

Find Barefoot Chardonnay with Snooth

Here’s what others thought of the this chardonnay:

• Recession Wines
• Novice Wine Blog

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Albamar is a brand produced by William Cole, based in Casablanca Valley in Chile. Thanks to a maritime influence, Casablanca Valley is a cool-climate region.  And William Cole is focused on cool climate wines.

On the nose, this wine has good intensity with aromas of mostly pear, but also with some white peach and soft floral notes.  The palate has crisp acidity with green apple and peach flavors.  The concentration of the flavors is very good.  The finish brings peach, lime and touch of minerality.  This wine is just about exactly what I want from a chardonnay.

For a mere $11.00 suggested retail price, this is an outstanding chardonnay.

Wine: William Cole Albamar Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $11.00

Find William Cole Albamar 2009 Chardonnay with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

While most of the wines in this latest series have been “new world” style chardonnay, I had this single bottle of French chardonnay on hand and really had no better place to write about it.  So while some of you might find this out of place in this series, I don’t really care.  It’s my website and that means my rules.  And if I want to jump from a California chardonnay to a French one, well I’m gonna do it.  Here’s to throwing caution to the wind.

This is different from the other chardonnay we’ve been reviewing in a couple ways.  The most obvious is that it’s French.  It’s from the Mâconnais district in Burgundy to be more precise.  And while you may think of Burgundy as being synonymous with Pinot Noir (which in some ways it is) there are other wines produced in this region and chardonnay is quite common.  In fact, chardonnay is what Mâconnais is really known for.  The specific appellation for this wine is Mâcon-Lugny.

Another thing that’s different about this chardonnay versus most of the others we’ve reviewed is that it’s a “naked chardonnay,” meaning that it hasn’t gone through any malolactic fermentation (a process that converts malic acid into lactic acid) and hasn’t seen any oak.  The result is a wine that is more bright, fruity and acidic than non-naked ones — I don’t think you’re supposed to call them “clothed chardonnay” but why not?

There is good intensity on the nose of this chardonnay, with a nice bouquet. The aromas are fig, melon, apple and flint.  On the palate is has a soft apple, melon and peach flavors which transition into a lime / citrus flavor in the mid-palate.  The acidity is good, it’s sufficient but not overpowering.  The lime flavors make for a bright and crisp finish.  It could use a little more concentration of flavors, but overall it’s a great wine for the price and definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in trying something different.

Wine: Cave De Lugny “Les Charmes” Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.00

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Here’s what others thought of the this chardonnay:

• Feisty’s Wines
• Pelz on Wine

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

This isn’t the first time we’ve reviewed the X Winery Carneros Chardonnay.  We’ve previously reviewed the 2007 vintage, which was exceptional.  And I have to admit that I’m tardy with this review as they’ve already released their 2009 vintage.  But you may still come across a bottle of this in your local shop, so I figured I’d go ahead and do the review.

As you see in the title, this chardonnay is from Carneros — and that’s a region that means something when it comes to chardonnay.  Carneros is a cool climate region at the south of both Sonoma and Napa Valley.  The cool climate makes it a great region for both chardonnay and pinot noir — much like Santa Barbara County that I mentioned a few days ago.  If you’re a wine geek, like me, I’d recommend picking up a couple bottles of chardonnay from a region like Carneros or Santa Barbara County and comparing it side-by-side with wine from other parts of California.  You’ll notice the difference.

I’ve admitted before that I’ve become quite a fan of X Winery.  I’ve had many tasty wines produced by them, at reasonable prices, which makes me a big fan.  But I should also note that as usual, I tasted this blind.  So, here are my thoughts about this wine when I didn’t know it was an X Winery chardonnay.

A brilliant golden color makes this an attractive wine to look at.  It smells really nice, with a slight perfume aroma, along with some citrus, flint and oak toast.  It is quite flavorful with pear, honeydew melon and big peach flavors.  The peach flavor lasts well into the finish.  This is a really nice Chardonnay.

Wine: X Winery 2008 Carneros Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.9%
Rating: 87
Price: $19.00

Find X Winery 2008 Carneros Chardonnay with Snooth

Here’s what others thought of the this chardonnay:

• Wine Harlots

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Over the past few months we’ve received a surprising number of boxed wine samples.  I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise since we are all about cheap wine.  But even though we’re into cheap wine, we’re still finicky and definitely prefer to review good, cheap wine (or call it “inexpensive wine” if you have a hang-up with the word cheap.)  Anyway… we have noticed an increase in wine producers using bag-in-box packaging and we’ve noticed the quality of the wine going into boxes to be improving as well.

Black Box is one of the producers that’s doing a nice job with their boxed wines.  And when I say, “nice job” I mean that the wine is OK.  They do better with some varieties than with others.  This chardonnay I would say is good.  I was really impressed with the bouquet, but not as wowed by the palate.  It doesn’t “blow me away” as the best chardonnay I’ve ever tasted, but for the equivalent price of $8.00 a bottle it’s pretty good.

I should note that Black Box actually puts out two different chardonnays.  They have a Monterey County chardonnay, which I have not tasted, and this Napa Valley Reserve chardonnay.

This wine has a big bouquet that smells like kettle corn, butterscotch, nectarine and lime.  It’s very full and quite nice.  The oak is a little heavy on the palate, giving this wine a little bit of a wet board flavor.  Other than that it has apple, citrus and nectarine flavors.  The acidity is sufficient.  The finish is quite long and oaky.  If a buttery and oaky chardonnay is your thing, then I’d say check this one out.

Wine: Black Box Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $31.99 for 3 liters (equivalent to $8.00 per 750ml bottle)

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Here’s what some others thought of the this chardonnay:

• Whom You Know

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

When you’re looking for a California Chardonnay, you may seek out one from Russian River Valley, Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley.  But there’s another region you should consider, Santa Barbara County.  This region is far south of the Sonoma/Napa wine country.  In fact, the southernmost part of the county is just over 100 miles north of Los Angeles.  Instinctively you may think it would be warmer this far south and not as good for vineyards, but influence of the Pacific ocean make outstanding conditions for growing wine grapes.  The area gets very little rainfall and a persistent fog from the coast creates cool, cloudy conditions which grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir just love.

The majority of the grapes in the Main Street Winery Chardonnay come from Santa Barbara County, 82% to be exact.  The other 18% of the grapes come from Monterey County, north of Santa Barbara County and just south of San Francisco.

This wine is a beautiful golden color.  The aromas are somewhat restrained but include lemon, toasted oak, apple and hay.  The flavors start with a yellow delicious apple characteristic and evolve into peach and citrus.  A bit of oak flavor comes in on the finish, but it’s not too strong. The mouth feel is rich and very creamy. I like it.  It’s a great deal and a great introduction to Santa Barbara County Chardonnay at just $10.

Wine: Main Street Winery Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $9.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.