Blogs – Page 5 – Chardy Girl

Sonoma County Wine Region – La Crema Winery

Next stop on our trip was La Crema wine tasting room in downtown Healdsburg. This is a spacious and well appointed tasting room. You’ve read my blogs about the various La Crema chardonnays so you already know that I’m partial to them. But visiting the wine tasting room is always a treat, especially if you are a wine club member.

The very first time that Gary and I visited La Crema in October 2015, I was duly impressed with the royal treatment. Upon arrival, Gary mentioned that I write a chardonnay blog and was looking for the perfect chardonnay. Lisa, the wine tasting room lead, quickly took over and lined up a side by side tasting of every chardonnay they had open that day. My favorites were the 2012 Nine Barrel, the 2013 Russian River Valley, and the 2012 Arroyo Seco chardonnays. We joined the wine club that day and went home with too many bottles to count!

The next time we returned in March of this year, as wine club members, we were escorted to the members only lounge in the back of the tasting room, and invited to sit down in the comfortable living room style seating. The convivial Shelby served us several of their premium wines, while expertly describing the origin of each one.

And on this trip, we were lucky enough to meet up with Lisa again. Well, actually, I called the winery ahead of time and made an appointment for a special tasting of the 9 Barrel Wines, La Crema’s top of the line series of wines, and thankfully Lisa took the call. I’m now the editor of the Sacramento Lifestyle Magazine, so I was on a mission to write an article on exceptional wineries and wine tasting experiences. But my “secret mission” was to taste the best of La Crema’s chardonnays again.

Upon arrival, Lisa hugged us both and led us back to the special “9 Barrel Library Room.” I have to admit, I’ve never been greeted in such a friendly manner by a wine server before. But, what the heck, this is part of the experience. La Crema staff take great pride in not only being knowledgeable about their wine, but by being super hospitable as well. They are all eager to ensure that their guests have an excellent experience.

The 9 Barrel wine tasting showcases the best of the winemaker and the best of the La Crema wines. To create these magic potions, the winemaker selects the best from nine different barrels to blend together the perfect wines. This is not a blend of varietals, but rather the best of the Russian River Valley chardonnays and pinot noirs. In addition, we were able to taste some of the other premium wines including the Saralee chardonnay, made from grapes that come from the highly prized Saralee vineyards, a place famous in Sonoma County. Lisa says “Happy grapes come from that vineyard.”

La Crema is now in the process of building a beautiful new wine tasting room in the heart of the Russian River Valley, a short distance from Healdsburg. When I know more, I’ll share the news on my blog. I can’t wait until opening day!

Sonoma County Wine Region – Chalk Hill Winery

I promised to blog on our trip through the Sonoma County wine region and what a trip it has been so far! We are always searching for the perfect chardonnay, but on this trip we are also gathering material for an article on exceptional wineries and wine tasting experiences.

We started our day with a return to Chalk Hill Winery, just outside of Windsor, in a beautiful hilltop setting. The lovely Hannah provided us with two tastings on the patio overlooking the pond and grape fields below, then drove us around the property for a tour of the pavilion, horse stables, owner’s house, and of course, many of the grape fields.

We returned to the bucolic and shaded patio for our final two tastings. Hannah invited us to join them for their “White Party” up at the pavilion on Saturday. I love a party and I love this winery so it was pretty tempting to say “yes” but we have a pretty busy schedule already that day. I do love the Chalk Hill Estate chardonnay, so we couldn’t leave without purchasing at least one bottle.

For a picnic, we hopped across Chalk Hill Road to Chalk Hill Winery’s sister winery, Roth. This is a new facility, only about two years old, with lots of comfortable seating on their patio in the front of the winery. Amanda served us from their tasting menu while we dined on our lunch. Roth also has food for sale if you prefer. It is a “deconstructed sandwich” in a picnic basket. You choose the meat and cheese, and they include the veggies and bread for you to put together your lunch.

We didn’t have time to visit their wine cave, but will make sure to stop by again when we return to Chalk Hill. One more note about Roth: their wine prices were half the cost of what we normally see in Sonoma, so they get extra points for that!

Hop Kiln 2012 North Bridge Chardonnay – Russian River Valley

This is HKG’s Sonoma County estate grown chardonnay and a good example of barrel fermented and Sur Lie aged wine. This chardonnay is fermented in French oak barrels, and a secondary fermentation also takes place in the barrel. The result is a lot of oak in the nose and the flavor. The wine is a solid gold color, lots of legs in the glass. It’s complex, smooth, medium bodied and well structured. The mouthfeel is creamy and I like that, but oak dominates the flavor and I’m not a big fan of that.

After tasting this one, I think I prefer less oak and more of the vanilla, butterscotch flavors you often see in the Russian River. My husband and tasting partner, Gary, however, loved the big oak in this chardonnay. 14.7% alcohol.

We purchased this at the winery and although I’m not crazy about their chardonnay, I do think the winery is beautiful and worth a visit.

We are headed back to Sonoma County for a special three days of extra special wine tastings and I’ll be blogging along the way. Stay tuned…

Schug 2013 Carneros Chardonnay

Aged in French oak barrels, this wine exhibits scents of oak in the nose and distinct overtones of oak in the taste of the wine. The winemaker does not induce malolactic fermentation in the making of the wine, something that I do prefer in my chardonnays. The style is clean and the wine is elegant with a natural acidity. Layers of pear and spiced apples come through in the flavor. This wine pairs nicely with food, especially cream sauces over pasta, seafood or a nice oven roasted chicken.

It sells for $30 at the winery, or $24 for wine club members. Schug Carneros Estate Winery is in Sonoma County, down a long country road and up on the top of a hill. Beautiful country. This was one of our last stops on a trip through Sonoma and Mendocino Counties last fall. They are a member of the Priority Wine Pass, a membership that we purchased last year to help offset the cost of wine tasting, particularly in the more expensive wine regions of Napa and Sonoma.

Folie a Deaux 2013 Chardonnay – Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

I wasn’t even going to review this wine. I went down to my basement tonight and grabbed a bottle of what I thought was just an everyday drinking wine, but what a surprise!

The nose is full of sweet scents of pear and vanilla with hints of oak. This is a medium bodied wine with pineapple and tropical notes, layered with honey and butter. The texture is soft and round. I like that the nose is so full of aroma, it compliments the taste of the wine and adds another dimension to the whole tasting experience.

This was another Safeway wine on sale at just $13.49. It hails from the Russian River Valley, one of my favorite wine producing regions. 13.9% in alcohol.

This is going to become a regular in my wine rack!

Chloe Chardonnay 2013 – Sonoma County

Tonight I’m trying one of my new “box” meals from Hello Fresh. This is one of those companies that promises to send you all of the fresh ingredients, right sized for two people or four, complete with cooking instructions. Well, I can’t start cooking without a glass of wine, can I? So read with me while I try this Chloe Chardonnay made from grapes from Sonoma County.

There are nuances of oak and vanilla in the nose. This is not a big, bold, complex chardonnay but the mouth feel is a real pleasure. Lots of legs on this wine, with a beautiful, light golden color. With a creamy, silky finish, this is a sophisticated and refined wine. It is a delicious wine to sip all by itself or with food.

I paid $11.69, on sale at Safeway, for this wine. 13.5% in alcohol. Enjoy!

Chateau St. Jean 2012 Belle Terre – Single Vineyard, Alexander Valley

I was very excited to stop by this winery during our trip through Mendocino and Sonoma Counties last fall. It was on my list of recommended wineries from a blog I read before we headed out to wine country. The winery itself was plenty busy on a Friday afternoon and the staff was very friendly.

At first, I couldn’t detect much in the nose, but the second pour revealed a slight scent of freshly sliced fruit. This is a rich and creamy, well-structured wine with a very pleasant mouthfeel. It is layered with ripe fruit characteristics and a hint of vanilla. Enjoy the ripe, full roundness on the palate.

The color is light golden in appearance, and the wine has plenty of legs. Alcohol is 14.4% in volume. The wine sells for $30 at the winery which is where I purchased it. Or, check Vivino.com for prices from $22.99 to $26.99.

Matchbook Chardonnays

Matchbook Wine Company is quickly becoming one of my favorite wineries, producing as many as five different chardonnays. The winery produces four different brands of wine: Matchbook, Mossback, Chasing Venus, and Sawbuck.

Located in Dunnigan Hills, about thirty minutes north of Sacramento, Matchbook has a beautiful facility overlooking their vineyards on rolling green hills. To compare and contrast, today I am tasting three of their most popular chardonnays.

Mossback 2014 Russian River Valley Chardonnay

Mossback is an old fashioned term for farmers, and the owners, being grape growers as well as winemakers, can identify with the profession.

Apple and citrus aromas with a hint of vanilla waft up from the glass of this wine produced from grapes out of the Russian River Valley. It has a rich and creamy texture, and is soft and round on the palate. There is some acidity in the finish. Although this wine is softer and milder, lacking the butterscotch flavor that I typically find in a Russian River Valley chardonnay, it is lovely and quite drinkable. The alcohol is 13.9%. It sells for $17.99 a bottle in the winery.

Matchbook 2013 Giguire Musque Dunnigan Hills Chardonnay

Musque is the French term meaning both perfumed and muscat-like. What a beautiful nose, truly perfumed, enhancing the tasting experience with such wonderful smells. The wine itself is layered with honeysuckle, orange blossom and pear overtones. The body is thinner than the Mossback. It is round, soft, and has a lingering finish with a hint of apricot at the end. The alcohol is 13.5%. This wine sells for $15.99 a bottle at the winery.

Arsonist 2013 Dunnigan Hills Chardonnay

The winemaker describes this as a big, rich, creamy, full flavored chardonnay and I have to agree. This is my favorite wine at Matchbook and very closely matches what I have been looking for in that “good, old-fashioned” style of chardonnay.

I smell toasted oak and hints of vanilla in the nose. This has a rich, creamy mouthfeel. This is what chardonnay should taste like. The flavor of the grape comes through in this wine and is not overpowered by the French, American, and Hungarian oak barrels in which it was aged. There is a taste of sweet caramel in the finish. The wine is 14.3% in alcohol. It sells for $21.99 a bottle at the winery, but is also widely available commercially. Look for it on sale at your local grocery store.

Quimay 2012 Neuquén Chardonnay

According to the label, these grapes were grown in a rugged, desert land in Patagonia, Argentina, that was inhabited for centuries by the fierce Mapuche Indians. The Mapuche had oasis sanctuaries which became holy sites called Quimay or blessed water. Today the vineyards are planted in many of these areas brought to life in a harsh terrain by the Mapuche’s blessed water.

We recently returned from a trip to South America where we tasted many wines from Patagonia, Mendoza, Chile, and even Uruguay. My husband, feeling sentimental about Patagonia, saw this bottle of wine in a local liquor store and picked it up for me. So, I decided to try it and share my thoughts about this chardonnay that doesn’t really taste like a chardonnay.

This wine has a faint scent of ripe pear in the nose. At first taste, the wine seems bright and fresh with lots of acidity. But as it warms, it becomes more complex with a slight lingering finish. This is not an oaky, creamy chardonnay, but it is imminently drinkable and would stand up well to a lot of different foods.

If you’ve been reading some of my recent reviews of Sonoma County wines, you’ll laugh when I tell you the wine was only $3 a bottle. Again, this was not my dream wine, but at $3 a bottle for a generic bottle of white wine, it wouldn’t hurt to keep some around for your next party for your less discriminating white wine drinkers.

Parducci True Grit Reserve Chardonnay 2013 – Mendocino County

Parducci was one of my favorite wineries that we visited on a recent trip through Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. On the day we stopped by, we were the only ones in the winery and we got extra special attention. Every wine we tasted there was delightful, so much so that we joined their wine club.

The nose on this wine is clean with mild scents of pear. It has a polished, yet rich style and the texture is somewhat creamy. I tasted slight summer fruit flavors. The finish is round and smooth, not incisive. The wine was aged in 100% new French oak, but the oak is not overly pronounced in this vintage.

Upon drinking the remainder of this bottle the next day, I discovered the wine had even more complexity and flavor. Enjoy it with a roasted chicken if serving with food, or just enjoy it alone!