Saturday, September 03, 2005

Cuvaison Chardonnay “Carneros” 2003 (PB)

Please note--In the interest of full disclosure The Wine Cask wants you to know that this wine was received from the folks at Cuvaison for gratis. Have no concerns re: a conflict of interest though; if the wines they (or anyone else for that matter) ever send are inferior in any way, we’d let you know. (NW) happened to be in town when the wine arrived and you will be reading his review of the same wine. I urge you to compare his and mine noting similarities and differences (I haven’t seen his review myself) remembering wine tasting is a subjective discipline on an objective playing field.

This Chard from the prestigious Carneros region sits pretty in the glass with a somewhat intense yellow color. The bouquet is light with a hint of peach but the nose has a really nice sense of pineapple life-savers with a touch of honey on the end. In the mouth this has a nice feel with very solid structure that will make it a versatile accompaniment with a variety of foods. (We had it with Bruschetta which is garlic toast topped with fresh basil, tomatoes, and olive oil and it did fine.) Uniquely though, I enjoyed this wine by itself as well. It has a mildly buttery texture—not as intense as some Chard’s—with a nice mouth feel. My favorite aspect though was the finish which was creamy fruit that lingered. Carneros Chards tend to be a bit pricey in general. Cuvaison lists the price of this wine at $24 which is reasonable. I would hope to see it around $16-$18. At any rate, raise a glass as (NW) and I do to “Billy” who is many miles away!

No comments:

Post a Comment