‘Tis summer and that means it’s the season to enjoy some chardonnay, pinot grigio, and other whites. I generally am a red drinker, but in the summer I do enjoy some refreshing white wines. I hereby start the next series: Chardonnay.
My chardonnay exploration won’t be nearly as thorough as Project Garnacha, only because there are sooo many options with chardonnay. I think every wine maker has one. Why? Probably because of a couple reasons.
- It’s widely consumed. You can always find someone to drink your chardonnay.
- It’s a rather forgiving varietal to produce. I’ve made a bit of wine myself and the chardonnays I’ve created have always amazed me. With no formal training, I’m able to create a chardonnay that can stand up against professional vinyards any day. The reds I’ve made have been decent, but not as good as the chardonnay.
As I type this, I’m enjoying my first contender in the Chardonnay Challenge: Veramonte. I actually tasted some Veramonte wines a few months ago at the Cincinnati Wine Festival. I’ve been hearing a lot about Chilean wines recently, so I was curious about Veramonte. And I was impressed. There is a lot of investment going on in Chilean wine and I’m looking forward to exploring wine from Chile further. Perhaps that will be a future tasting theme.
The verdict on Veramonte Chardonnay: I give it an 89. It has very nice yellow delicious apple and pear flavors. The bouquet is totally apple. It has a nice crisp finish. This would go great with some smoked trout, a bit of gouda cheese & crackers, with a slice of apple or green grapes. It’s very good. I think I’ll head to the deck to relax and enjoy.
Resources:
Veramonte Chardonnay
More posts on chardonnay to come.
Cheers!
Sir, try the Casas del Bosque 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Reserva, was awarded many times as Chilean’s best SB vintage in 2008, it may not be as easy as other wines to find, but I went to the wineyard and proved it there, it’s amazing, just as their Pinot Noir. Salud!