chardonnay

This Sunday is the last day for our Double Up for a Buck.  So now is the time to stock up for your Halloween party.  New to our sale are two very well made French wines: Les Argelieres Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Both of these wines will run you $8.00 per bottle with our sale which is a great deal for good French wine.

The Chardonnay is well balanced with notes of apple, pear, a hint of pineapple and creamy vanilla pudding.  There is just enough oak to give it heft for enjoying with cream laden dishes such as corn and potato chowder.  The Pinot Noir is a bit heavier and darker than many of the traditional French Burgundies, but make no mistake, this is not a jammy fruit bomb either. This Pinot has very good balance with plenty of lively raspberry, cherry fruit with slight birch beer and wet earth notes.  Try this with sweet and spicy Sloppy Joes for a solid Halloween pairing.

Get here soon to take advantage of this sale because it ends on Sunday.

Starting on October 1^st we will be having our Fall Double Up for a Buck sale.  Several of your old favorites will be on the sale as well as some new comers, including some lovely wines from France.

Every day it is not unusual for customers to ask for California Cabernets and Chardonnays, often looking for Napa or Sonoma wines.  However, it is less likely they will inquire about Washington state wines. 

It is always a pleasure when I can write about wines that are not only tasty but are under $10.00 like these wines are, but as an extra bonus, these wines are from South African farmers who are working to make a difference in the world. Both the 2014 MAN Free Run Chenin Blanc and the 2014 Padstal Chardonnay are solid wines to welcome in springtime sipping.

The third offering from Perseverance (the Zinfandel and Cabernet being one and two) is their 2013 Chardonnay.  If you are looking for an inexpensive, but not formula tasting Chardonnay, you should consider this one. This wine has plenty of rich and ripe fruit notes, including pear, mango and peach. 

When I was a kid, I used to get a kick out of the quirky eating habits of my Dad.  He wouldn’t eat a sandwich without a pickle on the side, had to have his coffee in a cup with a saucer, never a mug, and instead of vanilla ice cream with his apple pie he liked a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. At the age of 9 or so, I thought that was just plain gross.

Domaine La Tuiliere  2009  Cotes du Ventoux  is a simple yet elegant wine to enjoy for Father’s Day.  This classic Rhone style red comes from the southeastern part of France where Mont Ventoux looks over both the Rhone valley and Provence to the south and east.  On the western side is where the vineyards of the Cotes du Ventoux appellation exist.

The first thing you might wonder about this wine is how good can a non-vintage chardonnay be when some of the least expensive and lousy tasting wines have vintages? Don't over think this one folks.  There are wines out there where using a vintage year has little to do with quality and more about false expectations, but not this gem. This wine delivers.

Sometimes it’s tricky pairing wines with certain dishes, even the comfort variety. Case in point: my wife made an old family recipe that her mom and grandfather had made for years with the inevitable variations that intrude upon, yet often improve the original recipe. She made a Broccoli chicken and curry casserole that incorporated cream and cheddar cheese. Normally I would have an oaky, buttery type of Chardonnay with a creamy dish, but the curry and broccoli change things a bit.

I chose the Domaine Lafage 2011 Novellum Chardonnay because it isn’t a California style Chard. It’s from France and is aged in mostly stainless steel tanks with some exposure to Burgundy barrels along with continued aging in Viognier lees.

Whoa! It seems complicated but this wine is actually quite simple. It has a lovely nose of honeysuckle and peach and tastes of faint apple and pear with a pinch of sea salt. This is a medium bodied crisp Chardonnay with a smidgen of creaminess.

In another week or so, summer will officially be over (as if we needed to be reminded by the cooler forecast) and our thoughts turn to Autumn and wines geared towards shorter days and chilly nights. The 2011 Boxhead Chardonnay may be the ideal seasonal transition white wine.

This is a medium-bodied Chardonnay from Australia and is oak free. Don’t be fooled into thinking it is thin and unimaginative like a good number of un-oaked Chardonnays because there is plenty of attractive fruit smell and taste. The first whiff of lemon is immediately followed by spiced apple and subtle peach which will put you in the Fall frame of mind. This wine tastes of baked apple with lemon zest and a lingering flavor of baking spice.

The 2011 Boxhead Chardonnay is a very good value at $9.99. Try it with your favorite shellfish, perhaps even a chowder if you are ready for that. After all it is just about Fall.