ZOOM!

Rude Tasters Compares Chardonnay

We’ve gotten together by Zoom for a few wine tastings, but, without much structure in our format.   Last night, Ed Cox came up with an idea to bring a little of the wine tasting experience to our live Zoom meeting.   He asked each of us to come up with a Chardonnay under $10 and another over $20, and bag them and pour them blind.   So, though not double blind as we normally taste, but, at least blind, each taster was asked to evaluate and determine with of the two wines was preferred.   Then speak a bit about the wines and then unveil them so all can see what was tasted and what the tasters felt about them.   We had all the tasters on a group screen and we simply went around the screen for each to share their observations. Other than the wines that Alice and I opened, the other notes are those of those who tasted them.

Alice and I purchased a couple of wines from the Village Corner in Ann Arbor.   The owner, Dick Scheer, pick them out for us.   I did see what they were, unfortunately, so there was no possibility of going double blind.   He picked out a pair of un-oaked Chardonnays; one from California and one from Burgundy France in the northern area of Burgundy up near Chablis.   I numbered the glasses and Alice poured and numbered the bottles so even though we did know what wines we were tasting, neither of us knew in what order they were poured.   I was struck immediately at how steely and precise wine #1 was making me think of White Burgundy, Chablis in particular.   However, wine #2 was just so generous, I couldn’t hardly believe that a $6 bottle of wine could possibly have this much to offer.   Here’s what we found:

2018 Jean Marc Broucard Kimmerdidgien Bourgogne Chardonnay, Burgundy, FRANCE (13% ABV) $21.99  The 15 year old Chardonnay vines grown in Kimmerdidgien soil offers exactly what fans of Chablis look for; razor sharp clean precisely lemony Chardonnay varietal aroma leading into mineral-laced citrus peelings and a very refreshing zing of acid as it washes the palate.   The bright fruity finish lasts leaving a substantial and palate cleansing impression.  I can’t wait to enjoy it with Alice’s “Pot Luck” pasta salad.

2019 Salmon Creek California Chardonnay, CA (12.5% ABV) $5.99  When Dick put this on the counter at the Village Corner, I said “you gotta’ be kidding me”!   I’ve seen this wine in stores before but never ventured to buy a bottle.   He explained that it is also un-oaked and will make a nice point of comparison between California and France.   Alice much preferred the French over this inexpensive California bottling, but, I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite.  Though the French is classier and more precisely varietal Chardonnay, I’m not so sure I like it better.   The ripeness, and wonderful mélange of pine forest-like citronella scents mingle with lemon custard and sweet caramel.   I am stunned at how big and mouth coating this un-oaked wine shows, not to mention doing so for $6!  Though Alice was okay with the Salmon Creek, she felt that there was a distinct beer-like characteristic that detracted from what otherwise would have been a sleek citrus dominated Chard.

Next up was Ed and Linda Cox who brought some wines back from their winter haven in Florida.   So, the Sterling might be a tad over $10 in Michigan but still way less than the other wine they tasted.

2018 Sterling Vintner’s Collection California Chardonnay, CA (13.5% ABV) $9.99 Ed and Linda liked the peach and mildly bright nose balanced with soft fruits. In Michigan about $11.

2015 Kosta Browne One Sixteen Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Sonoma CA (14.3% ABV) $62 With a deeper nose and more oak than the Sterling, the mouth feel is dense yet still soft. Serving it with food would be a good idea unless you normally drink dark red wines. Though both Ed and Linda preferred the Kosta Browne,  they both really enjoyed the Sterling and in spite of the price difference, found themselves going back for a second glass.

Suresh and Sarla Puri poured a wine that, apparently has been in the market for a while but, I’ve only seen in historical accounts and had no idea that the brand was making a comeback.

2015 Virginia Dare Russian River Valley American Chardonnay, Sonoma CA (13.5% ABV) $9.99? - $25.99?  The Puri’s were quite pleased with this bottling of a brand which goes back to 1835 now produced by Coppola Family Wines.   $9.99 seems like a very low price for Russian River Valley Chard.   I’m guessing the regular price is $25.99.   The beverage specialist at D&W indicated that the 2015 vintage is a closeout price at $9.99.

Tom and Kim LeRoux brought a couple of 2017’s, one from California and one from Michigan.   Though they got the Michigan wine free, it is both wines are about the same price if bought at the same location (the winery).

2017 Laurantide Leelanau Peninsula Chardonnay, MICHIGAN (12% ABV) $16.99  This one was their favorite due to the more crisp, bright, Riesling-like demeanor.   Also, very enjoyable, more creamy and ripe was the 2017 Bogle Phantom Clarksburg Chardonnay, CA (14.5% ABV) $19.99.

The Marks’ have been fans of Cameron Hughes wines for at least a decade. These are wines produced by prestige wineries and sold in bulk to CH for distribution at a reduced price. So, of course, they enjoyed a couple of these tonight.

2018 Cameron Hughes Napa Valley Chardonnay, CA (13.5% ABV) $16 The Napa just had a bit of undefinable quality that we preferred to the Santa Barbara because it has everything in balance; lemon-like, clean and crisp, round but not overly buttery. Classic Napa Chardonnay.

2017 Cameron Hughes Santa Barbara Chardonnay, CA (13.5% ABV) $14 This wine took a Gold Medal at the 2019 Denver International wine competition. Really, just as good as the Napa with apple, pear and citrus all well balanced with a light touch of oak.

Up in Northport, Melanie Rogers was tasting a couple of dandy Chards. The beauty of Zoom is that our good friends who live hundreds of miles away can join in. She poured Rombauer and Seaglass.

2018 Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay, CA (14.5% ABV) $34 Pear on a rainy day nose, bright and lush oaky (buttery) forward flavor; lingering stone fruit finish. Better on the third day open. 93 points

2019 Seaglass Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, CA (13.6% ABV) $9 Slightly soapy with lemongrass in the nose. The middle palate has pears with a little bit of green pepper and finishes quickly with a touch more of lemongrass and pear. 85 points

Note: I looked this one up on the winery website and it contains 10% Clarksburg Chenin Blanc in the blend. That doesn’t sound like much, but, as a winemaker and blender of wines, I can tell you that even at that level it can amp up the complexity and, in this case that touch of green pepper.

Finally, Scott and Ruth Walker brought out a couple of relics of the past. The first was a close out from a local winery owner who was unhappy with his winemaker and felt that he should have added more sulfites to prevent any wild fermentations from taking place. Scott paid $2 a bottle! 2002 Raftshol Vineyards Leelanau Peninsula Chardonnay, MI $2 closeout Remarkably, this wine is still holding out well. What may have been mistaken as unwanted fermentation flavors 18 years ago, have proven to be finesse and complexity. It has the smell and flavor of an old wine, but no spoilage. The acidity still keeps the mouthfeel fresh and lively.

1997 L Mawby Leelanau Peninsula Chardonnay, MI ? The winery only occasionally produces still wine in exceptional vintages. This is one of the last such wines made at Mawby. The color is quite golden and mature looking with a very pleasant dry sherry-like nose. The palate is fresh, bright and appetizing.

 I believe Ed’s point to this experiment was to see if we preferred the higher or lower priced wines.   As you’ve noticed from previous tastings, most of the Rude Tasters like the wine better the more it costs.   I’m normally the odd man out.   I guess I prefer mass produced wine to artisanal wines; kind of odd for an artisanal winemaker to say this, I guess.   I’ll probably add a few more to this blog post if any of the others send me the names of the wines that they poured.

Enjoy in Good Health,

A Brian Cain, the Michgian Vintner