Confession: When it comes to white wine, Chardonnay generally isn’t my first choice. I’m not anti-Chardonnay, I just tend to prefer other varieties. But sometimes, I come across a Chardonnay that strikes my fancy. When that happens, more often than not it’s an unoaked Chardonnay. Unoaked chardonnay is just what it sounds like — Chardonnay […]
Chardonnay
Review: Ron Rubin, Russian River Valley Chardonnay
One of the things the Russian River Valley is known for is great Chardonnay. It is one of those areas where climatic conditions are optimal for growing Chardonnay grapes. Conditions like cool breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean, significant diurnal temperature swings, lots of sunshine and sandy soil with good drainage. Within the Russian […]
Review: Pam’s UN-Oaked Chardonnay
Summer is upon us and the heat is coming coming down, making this the season for crisp, light, fruity white wines. This one fits the bill perfectly! Chardonnay is one of those wines that is really popular with many people, but also has a number of haters. I call those folks ABC wine lovers (i.e., […]
Review: River Road, Un-oaked Chardonnay
Last week I wrote about a Chardonnay from River Road, so this week I thought I’d write about a Chardonnay from River Road. But wait, this one is different! This is their Un-oaked Chardonnay. This wine is part of what River Road calls their “Heart Series” of wines, which they describe as “fun, innovative, break-the rules, […]
Review: River Road, Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay
I’m always interested in learning the stories behind the wines I try, whether that’s the story of the winemaker, the vineyard, the region or something else. The first thing that caught my attention when looking into this wine is that River Road winery is owned by Ron Rubin, who also owns The Republic of Tea […]
Review: Domaine Bousquet, Reserve Chardonnay
I’ve mentioned before that I seek out high altitude wines because I tend to find wines made from grapes grown at higher altitude to be more lively, elegant, interesting and, in a nutshell, more enjoyable. But it’s not as simple as, “all high altitude wines are good” or “all low altitude wines are bad.” Altitude […]
Benjamin Laroche, la Manufacture, Chablis
At risk of seeming like I’m all about NakedWines.com, I have yet another review of one of their wines. I assure you I’ll move on to some other wines soon, I just happen to have a number of wines on hand from NakedWines.com. This one is a Chablis. At times you might hear me joke […]
Domaine De Oliveira Lecestre, Chablis
Over the past couple months I’ve reviewed a number of wines from the discount supermarket called Lidl and this is yet another wine from their stores. Lidl began opening stores in Germany in 1973 and just this year began opening stores in the US. I was recently talking with a wine industry insider and mentioned […]
Thomas George Estates, Sons & Daughters Ranch, Chardonnay
Last week I was in Sonoma County, California for the Wine Bloggers Conference. While there I was constantly seeking wines to share with readers here. Although I love these conferences, it can be challenging to find good bargain wines at these events. Most of the wine producers want to showcase their top shelf wines at […]
Parducci Small Lot Chardonnay – Fantastic
In my recent review of Emiliana Natura Unoaked Chardonnay I shared my affinity for chardonnay without oak. But while I love a good unoaked chardonnay, I’m not entirely opposed to having some oak in my chardonnay. When it comes to oaking wines, balance is the key and this wine demonstrates that well. With 80% of […]