I’ve been coming back again to Chardonnay, particularly from California lately. I think it’s for two reasons. One, the quality has improved and also the style has changed quiet a bit. We’ve moved from over-oaked flabby wines to steely, piercing wines, and now are starting to settle somewhere in the middle. I’m finding a good number of wineries both mid-priced and high-end playing around with what makes the most enjoyable wine at a higher quality.

Bernardus Chardonnay

I was able to get the 2007 Bernardus Central Coast Chardonnay for around $15. This wine does seem to fall somewhere in between the big buttery chards of old and the new mouth-puckering acidic Burgundy-style wines. And while I’m a fan of the later, sometimes, a simple enjoyable glass of Chardonnay is all you need. This wine does have some character to it however. The nose is full of cinnamon and apple blossom. There are also hints of lemon custard.

The flavor complexion moves from full bodied, with apples, pears, melon and pineapple, with a good attack on the mid-palate. There is a decent amount of malolactic fermentation present, but it doesn’t make the wine too buttery or milky. Instead, it added subtle body to the finish which does round nicely with the acidic-lemon-lime swirl at the end. I’m pretty high on this wine in terms of the level of complexity and its unique dimensions that are easy to decipher.

Overall, this is a very drinkable wine, and I think the price point matches up well with the overall QPR. Keep in mind however, that I’ve seen this wine selling in the mid-twenties. I think at that price, the wine starts to get a little overvalued. At $15-18, it instead delivers a very solid wine, that for California, stays right in the middle of flavor tastes. Because of that, I’d think this would be a crowd pleaser. I’m rating this wine a Borderline Outstanding.

I’ve had this wine and brand numerous times over the years. It’s a fairly easy to find Oregon wine. This label along with their higher end Rex Hill label had become a good reliable wine, both in the Pinot Gris but also on the Pinot Noir side. However I’d had a few recent vintages and the quality just hasn’t been there. It could have been a few bad bottles but I was running into wines that were a little too acidic and missing balance. So recently receiving a bottle as a gift, I was less than excited at the prospects.

King Estate Pinot Gris

Taking it for a spin yesterday however, I found a pleasant surprise. King’s was back. This wine had some marked sweetness upfront, with mango, apple and melon. There was also a nice lemon custard to carry it through and not allow the wine to become syrupy. The balanced acidity allowed the wine to have a nice medium-length finish, falling perfectly between the bright racy wines and the buttery Chardonnays. It’s a wine perfect for a Sunday afternoon, when you want something simple and enjoyable. Overall, I’d call this a Brick Solid wine. For $10-12, this wine is right priced and seems to be coming back around as a reliable choice.

Now here’s the perfect bargain. Its something that Italy has been doing more consistently than all other countries with the exception of maybe Australia. This Tuscan red wine blend is a mixture of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot, and can be found for anywhere from $8 to $10. I’ve had this brand many times over the years as it tends to deliver a decent wine at a good price. This vintage is no exception. The other thing that makes this wine a winner is accessibility. I’ve been able to find this at most wines stores and better grocery stores, making it more impressive that they can mass-produce a quality product like this. Quality was higher across the board in 2006 and this wine definitely benefited from the ideal growing conditions.

Monte Antico 2006

Medium-bodied, this wine has a good cherry and plum core. The nose is fragrant and pure, with hints of lavender and spice. The mouth-feel is fairly rich due to the Cab and Merlot, giving this wine some body, however it never feels too heavy. It has a cool, lithe quality that makes a good wine for everything from pizza to pastas, and maybe even a little bit of bar-be-que chicken. The finish is smooth and enjoyable. Its by no means a deep, intellectual wine, but for the price it really delivers a solid wine with an interesting flavor palate, and pairs well with alot of foods. I’ve got to stay this is a Brick Solid Plus wine that I’ll go back to again and again.

From one of our favorite wineries comes the Thieriot Vineyards 2006 Chardonnay. This chardonnay tends to exhibit a rich creamy toffee flavor and is in most years a very rich buttery Napa Chardonnay. This wine however seems to be a little more acidic then those we’ve had in the past. I’ve been impressed with aggressive nature of the wine. Its definitely a wine that needs a little air before you can appreciate its full potential.

Early on, it possesses alot of lemon custard and green herbaiousness. After about 4 hrs however it start to mellow out and becomes more buttery and possess carmel coloring and flavors. There still considerable acidity however. That seems to be a constant here.

Neyers Thieriot Chardonnay

Overall, it might not be the strongest showing for this wine. Not sure if was an off year, but it seems that the push towards Burgundy-style has made this wine a little too austere. I’ve got to put this wine somewhere between Drinkable and Brick Solid. Its not a bad wine by any means, but I think at the $45 price tag, its hard to say this is quiet living up to its cost. I still love Neyers but this one missed a little for me.

Here’s a quick review of a really reasonably priced Pinot. I was shocked at the value and quality for $14. Purchased from Wine Library, I’m hoping they get this back in stock as it hit the perfect balance of a wine worth drinking and one worth savoring. Here are my notes:

Very pretty scents of cranberry and sandlewood – a very distinct pinot smell and flavor. Some acidity and earthiness mixed from the beginning. Has cranberry and strawberry flavors. Earthy mushroom and tobacco intermixed. Good balance on the wine and a little acidity helps from making the wine have that candied fake taste that alot of the Pinots in this price range suffer from.

Yealands Pinot Noir

Overall this is an extremely well made wine for the price. I’ve not seen many pinots for $14 match this quality. The body and flavor plus the nose make this a good buy. My rating on this wine is a Brick Solid! I’d definitely go back for more.